(From a press release.)
March is International Fraud Prevention Month and Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg is encouraging homeowners to register for FraudSleuth, a free property alert service from her office.
So far, more than 3,100 homeowners have taken advantage of the program provided by the Recorder of Deeds office.
“My team has been working hard to get the word out and help sign up our constituents for this great service – increasing the number of homeowners signed up by 67 percent in just one year,” said Sorg. “But our job is not done until all homeowners in Montgomery County are registered and protected through our free FraudSleuth program.”
While FraudSleuth does not prevent fraud, it is an early warning system, so if fraudulent activity does happen, homeowners can take immediate action. The rate of this type of crime is low in Montgomery County. But Sorg recommends FraudSleuth as a piece of mind tool for homeowners.
“Property is the biggest investment we make,” said Sorg. “My office wants to help you protect that investment.”
Montgomery County property owners should register using their Parcel ID, which is the unique identifier for their property, and they will receive e-mail alerts if a document is recorded at our office against the information included in their profile.
According to Zipdo there was $1.9 billion lost to mortgage and rental fraud in 2020. The average victim lost $4573 per real estate fraud cases.
Homeowners can sign up for FraudSleuth right from the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds website, or join them at one of their upcoming mobile sign up events.
