Amid increasing reports of quit claim deed fraud schemes throughout the state, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella urged real estate owners to be diligent in a June 1 press release.
Quit claim deed fraud involves scammers forging documents to illegally transfer property ownership without the real owner’s knowledge. Perpetrators often use fake quit claim deeds and try to record these documents with the local register of deeds. This allows them to profit by selling or renting the property.
Scammers typically target vacant lots, properties without liens, and out-of-state owners, using fake ID and remote closings to carry out their schemes.
Formella’s public announcement advised property owners to protect themselves by:
- Setting up a Google Alert for their property address, so they can see when someone posts something on the internet about their property.
- Regularly monitoring real estate marketplace websites to see if their property is listed for sale.
- Searching for their property address on social medal platforms to see if there are any posts about the property.
- Periodically visiting their property or asking trusted neighbors to report any unusual activity on or around the property.
- Contacting their title insurance professionals to discuss whether insurance is available to cover losses associated with deed fraud.
In the event real estate has been sold without the owner’s knowledge, it’s crucial to find out as soon as possible so legal advice can be sought and next steps can be determined. To that end, Formella recommended property owners consider:
- Regularly monitoring property records online. Each county has its own register of deeds website allowing a search for property records using the name of the property owner.
- Subscribing to property fraud alerts that will issue notifications every time a document is recorded in the register of deeds under specified names.
- Taking note if they stop receiving water or tax bills on the property, which indicates the bills are being sent elsewhere.