Real Estate Security Archives

May 18, 2024May 18, 2024

Here Comes the First AI-Powered, Fraud-Busting Notarization Platform

The notarization company Proof^SM has launched an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered fraud detection tool. It’s called Defend.

Proof is a service mark of Notarize, a leader in remote online notarization.

Proof points to the $80+ billion in annual losses in the U.S. on account of identity theft, document manipulation, wire fraud, and forged signatures. The company says its new Defend tool is the first signature platform with AI-powered, active fraud detection.

January 31, 2024April 25, 2024

Ahoy There, Matey! Look Out for the Title Pirates

We all know about porch pirates… but look out for title pirates. They’ll take your whole porch.

Title piracy is deed fraud. It happens when someone uses a deed to deliberately take over someone else’s real estate. It’s an unusual crime, but according to the National Association of REALTORS® (which cites FBI figures), it’s been on the rise since the pandemic hit.

December 11, 2023April 25, 2024

Texas Warranty Deed Forgery Plot Thickens

More Houston-area deed fraud victims are speaking out. The alleged perpetrator has already been charged with a first-degree felony of forgery, fraudulent document execution, and theft greater than $300,000, in connection with warranty deeds worth some $15 million.

He would forge property owners’ signatures. Then he’d go buy their properties at a deep discount. Investigators say he tried to steal his own dad’s house. Yep.

He was arrested, let go on his personal recognizance, and told to reappear at his arraignment. He was a no-show. And that means Timothy W. is a wanted man again. What’s more, additional people have since stepped up, saying they believe the same person tried to take their homes away, too.

November 29, 2023April 25, 2024

Stay Informed with Snohomish County’s Recorded Document Notification System

Snohomish County Washington is now offering a valuable service for property owners – the Recorded Document Notification System. This free, voluntary system is designed to alert you whenever a document containing your name or tax parcel number is officially recorded.

January 20, 2023April 25, 2024

Heirs, Protect the Seniors in Your Life From Deed Theft

A 91-year-old Floridian recently sent a payment to his insurer. Then the agent called to say the company wouldn’t be able to renew the homeowner’s policy. The deed had been transferred. The home was now legally owned by another person.

Some days later, from his bedroom, this shocked and disoriented senior heard three people come into the home. It seems the perpetrator was trying to sell the house. Fort Lauderdale police are investigating.

The swindled senior paid off the mortgage 15 years ago. Maybe that’s part of the issue. If there were a mortgage lien on the home, the mortgage company would have been alerted to the transfer. Plenty of elders live in homes with paid-off mortgages in Florida, and plenty of fraudulent schemes are targeting their increasingly valuable homes.