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Shapiro Signs Bill to Protect Veteran’s Documents

(From a press release)

Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg was thrilled to take part in the signing of PA House Bill 269, which amends the state statute of 1868 authorizing Recorders of Deeds to record military discharge papers. The bill extends the confidentiality of recorded military discharges from 75 to 85 years after recording.

“This is such an important win for Pennsylvania veterans,” said Sorg. “Our veterans are living longer and these documents are the most important piece of paper a veteran can hold in their hand. They also include a lot of sensitive information. We want to keep our veterans information, safe and secure for as long as possible.”

“I am grateful to Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds Jeanne Sorg and her staff for their advocacy for Pennsylvania’s veterans, and for bringing this issue to my attention,” said Rep. Joe Webster (D-Collegeville). “Our veterans deserve the reassurance that their personal information is safeguarded. It’s our job as a grateful nation to protect those who protect us, and I’m honored and thankful to see this extension of privacy be enacted into law.”

“This represents another win for our veterans,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro during the recent bill signing.

Sorg presented this issue to Webster in 2019, and she testified in front of the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee in 2023 about the importance of this legislation. HB269 was subsequently brought out of committee in 2023 and passed unanimously through the Pennsylvania House and Senate in October 2024.

“I have spent much of my time as Recorder of Deeds fighting for this bill,” said Sorg. “I am delighted to have been at the State Capitol when Governor Shapiro signed the bill into law.”

Before a recorded discharge hits the 85 year threshold, the document is only available to the veteran, their immediate family, and Veterans Affairs. Veterans and their families should contact the Recorder of Deeds for the steps to request copies of recorded military discharge papers.

“We know veterans and seniors are top targets for fraud,” said Sorg. In a recent survey conducted by the Recorder of Deeds of Montgomery County veterans, 56 percent responded as being over 75 years of age, while another 31 percent responded as being between 65 and 74 years old. “This additional 10 years will help to keep the personal information of our veterans secure,” she continued.

The Recorder of Deeds is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all land records in Montgomery County and acts as the repository for bonds and commissions of county elected officials, common pleas judges and magisterial district judges; military discharge papers (DD214s) of all eligible service and reserve members; subdivision, state highway, and railroad plans; powers of attorney; and other miscellaneous documents.

Montco Recorder of Deeds: Sign up for Property Alerts

(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.

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Delaware County Launches Free FraudSleuth® Software to Help Residents Fight Property Fraud

From a press release

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds Office is now offering a free property fraud protection tool, called FraudSleuth®, that provides Delaware County property owners with automatic alerts to help safeguard against property fraud.

FraudSleuth® is a software-based monitoring tool that alerts property owners when any document—such as a mortgage, deed, or mortgage satisfaction—related to a specific parcel is recorded under that parcel’s ID. Similar to how credit monitoring services track consumer purchases and payments, FraudSleuth tracks properties and automatically alerts owners to possible fraudulent activity.

FraudSleuth® is currently used by many counties in Pennsylvania with local governments working to combat an uptick in property fraud and increased calls from residents for assistance.

“While it has been relatively rare in Delaware County, various other jurisdictions have experienced an increase in title theft and deed fraud over the past couple of years,” explained Robert A. Auclair, Esq., Recorder of Deeds. “So, as a proactive, protective measure, our office has made this free monitoring service available to all property owners in the county.”

To begin using FraudSleuth®, property owners need to visit the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website, accessible at delcopa.gov/deeds, and create a profile for the property they wish to monitor. Profiles are quick and easy to create, requiring a limited amount of information, including the property owner’s name, the parcel ID number, and an email address (where the owner wishes to have their alerts sent). If a property owner wants to monitor multiple properties, then multiple profiles will need to be created; one for each property.

To create a new profile from the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website:

  • Create a New User Account
  • Click “Preferences”
  • Click “Configure FraudSleuth Profile”
  • Click “Add Profile”
  • Input the Profile details (including your name and the parcel ID)
  • Click “Save” to complete the process.

When a document is recorded against the information on file with the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds office, the email generated by FraudSleuth will include matched data, including the document type, the document reference number, and the recording date/time of the matching document. The document can then be viewed on the Recorder of Deeds Online Services website.

Residents should be aware that an alert does not mean that fraudulent activity has occurred. Legitimate transactions involving the property owner, bank, and other entities will also trigger an alert, and it is the property owner’s responsibility to monitor the alerts and take action if the activity is suspicious.

If the property owner receives an alert regarding activity that appears fraudulent or suspicious or inaccurate, property owners can contact the Delaware County Recorder of Deeds office at (610) 891-4152 or contact the Delaware County Criminal Investigation Unit (CID) at (610) 891-4161.

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