Kent County Recorder of Deeds Eugenia Thornton announced today free registration for software alerting citizens when their names are part of her office's property transactions.

"Statistically rare, property theft is still devastating." Thornton said, "With ever-increasing cyber threats, better safe than sorry."

Many variants of property theft exist.

"One variant is identity theft combined with exploiting the home's equity," Thornton said. "Thieves get the money; the unfortunate owner gets the payment requests."

This crime has been around for at least 15 years, first identified in an FBI publication, House Stealing, the Latest Scam on the Block.

The US Secret Service warned of new variant in March 2023 -- seller impersonation.

Thornton knows of a dozen seller impersonation attempts in southern Delaware since she took office in January.

"Seller impersonation hurts both owner and buyer," she said. "Cyber thieves target vacant homes or lots, houses without mortgages, and senior citizens. It starts with a fake ID and ends with online rentals or sales where parties don't interact face-to-face."

Per the American Land Title Association, the victims may not learn of the problem for years due to the types of people and land targeted. "While property cannot be 'stolen' through fraud," Thornton said, "if buyers make improvements to properties not legally theirs, things get very expensive and time-consuming for everyone involved."

According to Thornton, our state fares better than most because, by law, Delaware attorneys perform closings.

Even so, if any document is fake, the deed is fraudulent. Examples include court orders obtained under false premises, notary or powers of attorney not legally empowered, realistic-looking fake documents, forged signatures, and fake IDs.

"Lenders and realtors are from all over the county, not just local," she said. "We receive most of our documents electronically."

"These are public records that fraudsters already know how to access," Thornton said. "Now, property owners will possess the same knowledge as thieves. Your documents are safer with your involvement."

Register for property transaction alerts today. Click pfa.uslandrecords.com or use this QR code. Register as many names as you like. Change them anytime.

To learn more, contact the Deeds office at Recorder@Kentcountyde.gov to receive these documents, or download them from here: https://www.co.kent.de.us/recorder-of-deeds-office.aspx

• Explore your Property History from Anywhere—Free"
• Why Register for Property Transaction Alert Software?
• Property Fraud: Kent County’s Plan for Action

Thornton concluded, "In all likelihood, the email alerts will be for expected recordings, but—it’s free--so why take chances?"

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