How Arizona Is Fighting Back Against Deed Fraud

A Rural County’s Innovation Becomes a Statewide Model for Property Protection

Deed fraud complaints to Arizona’s Attorney General have surged in recent years, with at least 65 cases reported in just a 20-month period.^¹ But from Mohave County in Arizona’s northwest corner, an innovative program is gaining traction as a model for the entire state—and potentially the nation.

The AAPP: Stopping Fraud Before It Starts

County Assessor Jeanne Kentch recognized something that others had missed: most deed fraud begins with an unauthorized address change at the assessor’s office. Once fraudsters redirect mail, property owners stop receiving tax notices—giving criminals time to forge deeds and complete fraudulent sales before anyone notices.

“We found a common denominator of deed fraud is the change of a property owner’s mailing address,” Kentch explained. “My staff scrambled for a solution.”^²

That solution became the Assessor’s Address Protection Program (AAPP)—the first of its kind in Arizona. For a one-time $50 fee, property owners file a notarized affidavit establishing themselves as the only person authorized to change their mailing address. The property gets flagged in the county system, and staff contact the owner directly before any changes are processed.^³

The program doesn’t completely “lock” an address—legitimate legal processes can still override the protection—but it creates a verification layer that catches fraudulent attempts before they succeed. Since its 2022 launch, over 2,000 Mohave County property owners have enrolled.^²

From Local Innovation to Statewide Model

The AAPP’s success earned a 2024 Summit Award from the Arizona Association of Counties—the state’s top honor for innovative government solutions.^⁴ That recognition opened doors. Kentch was invited to join the Secretary of State’s Deed Fraud Coalition and collaborated with the Attorney General’s Office to develop statewide training for assessor and recorder staff.^⁵

The training proved so successful that Maricopa County hosted a follow-up session attended by county officials and state legislators alike. Both Kentch and the Maricopa Assessor were appointed to a Deed Fraud Task Force.^²

Now, as of late 2025, a bipartisan legislative coalition has selected the AAPP model as Arizona’s most effective approach to deed fraud prevention. Legislation for the 2026 session would extend AAPP-style protections statewide.^⁶

Proactive vs. Reactive: Why the AAPP Matters

Arizona already requires all counties to offer notification systems under SB 1110, signed in 2023.^¹¹ These alert property owners when documents are recorded against their property. Pima County offers Fraud Guard, Pinal County has a Recording Notification Service, and Yavapai County provides Eagle Fraud Alert.^¹²

But there’s a critical difference: notification systems alert you after a document has been recorded—essentially telling you fraud may have already occurred. The AAPP creates a barrier that can prevent fraud before it happens.

“Between both programs, Mohave County property owners are the most secure in Arizona with their property ownership,” Kentch noted.^²

The Scale Question: Can It Work in Maricopa?

Mohave County’s population of roughly 230,000 makes it Arizona’s 5th largest county—but it’s dwarfed by Maricopa County’s 4.7 million residents.^⁷ That’s a 20-fold difference, and it raises legitimate questions about scalability.

The AAPP’s strength is its manual verification process: when someone attempts to change an enrolled property’s address or a new deed appears, staff members personally call the owner to verify. That hands-on approach works well with 2,000 enrollees in a county with three assessor offices. But Maricopa County records approximately 1 million documents annually and serves 3,000 to 5,000 customers daily with a staff of 150.^⁸

A statewide AAPP would likely require automation to handle larger volumes—perhaps automated phone or text alerts triggered by the same software flags that currently prompt manual calls. Los Angeles County, with 10 million residents, has run an automated Homeowner Notification Program since 1996 that sends hundreds of thousands of notifications annually.^⁹ Similar technology could preserve the AAPP’s proactive approach while scaling to Arizona’s larger counties.

The key insight from Mohave County—that address changes are the common denominator in deed fraud—translates regardless of scale. What matters is whether the state builds systems that act on that insight before fraud is completed, not after.

The Adoption Problem: How Do You Get People to Use It?

Here’s the uncomfortable math: 2,000 enrollees out of 230,000 residents is less than 1% adoption—and that’s with active promotion from an engaged county assessor. Opt-in programs, no matter how well-designed, consistently struggle with participation. Most property owners don’t think about fraud prevention until it’s too late.

Los Angeles County solved this problem decades ago with a different approach: universal, automatic notification. Since 1996, the county has mailed copies of recorded deeds and ownership-changing documents to property owners automatically—no enrollment required.^⁹ Email alerts are opt-in, but the paper mail notifications go out to everyone. Riverside County implemented a similar automatic “Courtesy Notice” system in 2011.^¹⁰ Surveys show 96% of LA County homeowners approve of the program.

For the AAPP to achieve meaningful protection at scale, Arizona legislators will need to consider alternatives to pure opt-in enrollment:

Opt-out instead of opt-in. Auto-enroll all property owners, let them decline if they choose. Behavioral economics consistently shows opt-out programs achieve dramatically higher participation than opt-in.

Built into closing. Title companies already handle dozens of forms at closing. Adding AAPP enrollment as a standard step—like owner’s title insurance—could capture buyers at the moment they’re most focused on protecting their new property.

Mandatory verification by statute. Require address change verification for all properties, eliminating the enrollment step entirely. The assessor already has mailing addresses on file for tax bills—the infrastructure exists.

Tiered protection. Automatically flag high-risk properties (vacant land, out-of-state owners, properties owned by elderly individuals) while making enrollment optional for others.

The best fraud prevention program in the world doesn’t help if nobody uses it. As Arizona considers statewide expansion, the adoption mechanism may matter as much as the program design itself.

The Fight for Stronger Penalties

Prevention programs are only part of the solution. In 2025, a bipartisan bill (SB 1310) would have elevated deed fraud from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 4 felony—up to 2.5 years in prison versus six months.^¹³ Governor Hobbs vetoed it, arguing the bill alone “doesn’t fix” the problem.^¹⁴

Other measures have also stalled. A bill requiring in-person signatures for quit claim and beneficiary deeds was defeated after opposition from lawyers and lobbyists.^⁵ A thumbprint requirement for notarizations—aimed at combating stolen notary identities—faced similar resistance.

Kentch remains undeterred: “We cannot win them all, but the trick is to not give up. For perspective, it took the Arizona Assessors over eight years to get a veterans bill passed.”^⁵

Recently elected President of the Arizona Association of County Officers (AACO), Kentch now has a broader platform to push for deed fraud legislation in the 2026 session.^⁶

What Arizona Property Owners Can Do Now

Enroll in your county’s notification system. All Arizona counties now offer free recording alerts. Contact your county recorder’s office to register.

If you’re in Mohave County, sign up for the AAPP. Visit any assessor office with your ID for the $50 enrollment.

Monitor your property records. Check your county assessor’s website periodically to verify ownership information.

Be vigilant with vacant land, rentals, or second homes. These are prime targets because owners are less likely to notice changes quickly.

Report suspected fraud immediately. Contact the Arizona Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud section, local law enforcement, and your county recorder.

A Model for Other States

Other states are watching Arizona’s approach. Texas now requires ID for deed filings.^¹³ New York has created specific “deed theft” crimes with enhanced penalties.^¹³ The National Association of Realtors identifies notification systems as the most widely supported solution among real estate professionals.^¹³

The stakes are high. A recent Arizona Supreme Court decision in Estate of Dominguez confirmed that if a fraudster pays taxes on your property for five years after recording a fake deed, you could lose your land permanently—even if you never knew the fraud occurred.^¹⁵

The AAPP demonstrates that effective fraud prevention doesn’t require complex technology or massive budgets. Sometimes it just takes someone paying attention to patterns and building a practical solution. The challenge now is making that solution accessible to everyone—not just the small percentage who actively seek it out.

Deeds.com Supports Arizona’s Efforts

At Deeds.com, we’ve spent over 27 years helping more than 500,000 property owners with real estate documents. We’ve seen firsthand how devastating deed fraud can be.

We wholeheartedly support Jeanne Kentch’s work and the bipartisan coalition expanding the AAPP model. This is what fraud prevention should look like: proactive, accessible, and built on practical insight into how fraud actually occurs. We encourage other states to follow Arizona’s lead—and urge legislators to pursue stronger criminal penalties alongside prevention programs.