Scammers can steal the title to your home, but it's rare and easily preventable

You’ve likely seen or heard the commercials warning that scammers and identity thieves are now stealing houses right out from under unsuspecting homeowners.
The companies behind these warnings say fraudsters can use forged signatures and fake IDs to transfer ownership of your property to themselves with the county’s register of deeds, a crime dubbed “house stealing” by the FBI.
For a monthly fee, these “home lock” companies offer monitoring services to alert you if someone attempts to do this with your property.
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[@jujubees711]

Thank goodness for this report because there are so many news stories on RUclips saying this scam is on the rise and the homeowner is out of luck.

[@jenniferdixon9635]

This news report is dead one and fantastic! I worked for 20 years in a local government property records office, and we would get calls concerned about these ads all the time. The county I worked for has the free service as well that allows you to sign up for monitoring. Thank you for your excellent reporting! And your follow up at the end, wire fraud is DEFINITELY the scarier issue.

[@lorienray6216]

Terrific that you shared your information, always helpful

[@traceygantt3375]

I just don't understand how this is able to go through! It seems harder to buy alcohol.

[@tbaker294]

I've always thought that the abundance of ads (especially on talk show radio) was more a scare tactic than real.

[@desmo8755]

Lawmakers lose credibility when they make money on advertisements for title fraud protection. You want to do something? Ramp up the punishments for those committing the fraud.

[@sidoniewinterpasternak9938]

Why the owner's photo isn't part of the title? Elementary, Mr. Watson

[@nameundefinedname5307]

it's not rare it's one of the fastest growing crime in tampa lmao

[@oaxaca1948]

how does the criminal get the deeds or titles? must be inside jobs for local government right in tampa. courthouse, deed and abstract someone.

[@oaxaca1948]

I do all my business with my bank and my courthouse, deed and abstract or whoever right here in my home town, won't wire a penny. I will take the money right to them.

[@debigotlieb8357]

This is really bad reporting. I am a deed fraud expert and he is wrong.

[@kush-nftvevo4254]

😂😂😂

[@frankietyree1953]

This a lie!