ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — The St. Louis County Recorder of Deeds office is offering a new way to keep an eye out for possible property fraud.
In a press release, the Recorder of Deeds office encouraged St. Louis County residents to sign up for the subscription service that would alert them any time documents with their registered name are recorded. The service allows residents to monitor any activity that is using their name, and take steps to quickly stop the fraudulent activity or fix any damage that comes from it.
The FBI said property fraud is among the fastest-growing white-collar crimes.
Sign up through the website or by calling 1-800-728-3858. You'll then be asked to enter your personal and/or business name and choose whether to be notified via email or text message. Then, you will receive a notification when a document is recorded in St. Louis County using your name.
The Property Fraud Alert system suggests the following steps if you are alerted to activity you do not recognize:
- Contact any other parties whose names may be on the document
- Other parties may be aware of the document and the referenced property or may have mutual concern about the document’s potential impact.
- Contact your attorney
- If you are not sure about the purpose of the referenced document, a private attorney may be able to determine impact and possible action in a timely fashion and minimize the damage and inconvenience of a fraudulent document.
- Contact your lending institution
- If you believe possible fraudulent activity has taken place, contacting your bank, mortgage company, or lending institution in a timely fashion may help your cause.
