Across Florida, scammers are selling peoples’ land and even homes behind their backs. It’s called property deed fraud, and there’s been a big spike in cases here in Florida because the real estate market in the Sunshine State is hot right now. So hot in fact, that numbers suggest approximately 1,218 people move into Florida daily. Officials are urging property owners to protect themselves by signing up for property fraud alerts.
More than 54% of real estate professionals experienced it firsthand in just the second half of 2023. It happens when a scammer steals someone’s identity and title and then sells their property without them knowing. Mary Justino with the Clerk of Clay County Court says: “There are instances where a person filed a fraudulent deed, and simply changed the name by one letter, or to change some of the information in the address or the text of the document by just one letter or two.”
To protect yourself and your property, sign up for your local county’s property fraud alert program. It sends emails and texts if there’s activity on land you own. To be clear, this DOES NOT prevent fraud but it’s like an early warning system.
Florida has 67 counties with property fraud alert programs; only Jackson and Okaloosa are still working to create a functioning program. For more info or the signup for your county’s alerts, visit the Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers website.