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Property Title Fraud Information

Home property title fraud is a crime where a scammer illegally transfers ownership of your property by forging documents or using fake IDs to steal your home's equity and sell it or take out a loan without your knowledge. This could result in a homeowner being evicted from their own property, including 2nd home & rental properties. You can protect yourself by using local county services to monitor your title, maintaining your property, and reporting any suspicious activity to local law enforcement and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
 

What happen with Home Property Title Fraud?

  • Deed Theft: Criminals forge documents, often a quitclaim deed, to transfer your property's title to themselves.

  • Identity Theft: This process often involves identity theft to impersonate the homeowner and obtain a fake ID.

  • Sale of the Property: Once the title is transferred, the scammer can then sell the property and keep the sale proceeds.

  • High Risk for Vacant Properties: Homes that are unoccupied for extended periods, such as vacation homes or undeveloped land, are particularly vulnerable to title theft.

 

How to Protect Your Home

  • Use Title Alert Services: Register for free consumer notification services offered by your local county registrar to receive alerts about any documents recorded on your property's title.

  • Monitor Your Mail: Carefully review all mail and statements from your mortgage lenders and banks to spot any unfamiliar or unauthorized activity.

  • Maintain Vacant Properties: If your home is unoccupied, take steps to make it appear lived-in, such as having someone collect your mail and keep up with yard work.

  • Consult an Attorney: If you believe you are a victim of deed fraud, consider consulting an attorney to assist you in proving your ownership of the property.

 

What to Do If You Are a Victim

  1. Contact Law Enforcement: Report the fraud immediately to your local sheriff's office and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

  2. Obtain Documents: Get a certified copy of the fraudulent document from the county's register of deeds office.

  3. Seek Legal Action: Work with an attorney to pursue legal action, such as "quieting the title," to resolve any ownership questions.

 

The information contained in this is a basic overview. I would encourage everyone to look into it more as it is a serious and can be very expensive situation.

 

Below are links to some various counties for their property fraud alert. If you don’t see your county, please google search your accounting name with property fraud alert.

 

Cook County

https://www.cookcountyclerkil.gov/recordings/property-fraud-unit

 

DuPage County

https://www.dupagecounty.gov/elected_officials/recorder/property_fraud_alert.php

 

Kane County

https://www.kanecountyrecorder.net/

 

Will County

https://willcounty.gov/will-county-recorder-reminds-citizens-of-property-fraud-alert-service

 

Lake County

https://data-lakecountyil.opendata.arcgis.com/documents/lakecountyil::property-check/about?path=

 

McHenry County

https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/departments/county-recorder/property-fraud-alert

 

 

Lastly, Gov. Pritzker Signed Senate Bill 1523 into law on August 15, 2025, however, it doesn’t take effect until January 1, 2026. Here is a link that talks about that: https://www.google.com/search?q=gov.+pritzker+signs+senate+bill+1523+illinois&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS1060US1060&oq=Gov.+Pritzker+Signs+Senate+Bill+1523&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgBECEYoAEyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRiPAjIHCAQQIRiPAtIBCDUwODNqMGo3qAIIsAIB8QXjK5960IHdZA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

 

Disclosures:

This information is believed to be accurate, it's not guaranteed and may contain errors or be subject to change, with readers responsible for their own due diligence and verification of all details. If you’re currently signed up with another real estate broker, please disregard this informational solicitation.

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