Your home may be your largest asset, so seeing an ad warning that someone can "steal" it online can get your attention fast.
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someone → see → attention
But home title fraud does not work like someone hacking into an online account and changing the password.
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someone → work → password
The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.
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that → forge → records
There are steps you can take right now.
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you → be → ?
You can check your property records yourself, often for free, and many counties offer free alerts when a document is recorded under your name.
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document → check → name
If you want ongoing monitoring and help recovering from identity fraud, an identity theft protection service can add another layer of protection.
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service → want → protection
Just know what that protection can and cannot do.
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protection → know → what
A monitoring service can alert you when a change appears in the public record, but it cannot stop someone from submitting a fraudulent document in the first place.
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it → alert → place
The Federal Trade Commission also warns that a so-called "title lock" is not the same as title insurance and does not literally lock your deed.
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lock → warn → deed
Watch the replay and discover 5 ways AI can help you get better health care.
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you → watch → care
Our free CyberGuy LIVE class Get Better Healthcare with AI has ended, but you can still watch the full replay.
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you → get → replay
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson walks you through five practical ways AI can help you prepare for appointments, remember important details, understand complicated medical information, research prescription questions and organize your next steps.
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you → walk → steps
No technical experience is needed.
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experience → need → ?
Plus, recordings of all our past classes are available, including How to Stop Spam, Phone Security and Financial Protection, each with a free downloadable checklist.
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recordings → include → checklist
Watch the free replays and get your checklists at CyberGuyLive.com
First, know the difference between a title and a deed
Your title is your legal ownership interest in the property.
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title → watch → property
A deed is a document used to transfer that interest from one owner to another.
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deed → use → another
Your local recording office also keeps other documents that can affect a property, including mortgages, liens, judgments and easements.
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that → record → mortgages
An online records check lets you review what has been recorded.
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what → let → ?
It is a useful fraud check, but it is not a professional title search or a legal guarantee that no issue exists.
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issue → exist → ?
If you are buying, selling, refinancing or dealing with an estate, trust or ownership dispute, use a licensed title professional or real estate attorney.
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you → buy → professional
What to gather before you start
Put these items beside your computer or tablet:
- Your property's full street address
- The owner's name exactly as it appears on the deed
- Your spouse or co-owner's full legal name, if applicable
- The legal name of a trust, estate or business that owns the property
- Your parcel number, sometimes called an APN or property identification number, from your property tax bill
- The approximate year you bought or last refinanced the home
Do not enter your Social Security number into a public property-search page.
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you → gather → page
Ordinary public-record searches generally use a name, address, parcel number or document number.
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searches → use → name
Step 1: Find the correct government office
The name of the office varies by location.
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name → find → location
It may be called the:
- County recorder
- Recorder or register of deeds
- Clerk-recorder
- Clerk of court
- Land records office
Start at your county or local government's official homepage.
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It → call → homepage
This is safer than clicking the first sponsored result in a general web search.
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This → click → search
If you cannot find the page, call the phone number shown on your property tax bill and ask: "Which government office maintains recorded deeds for my property, and does it offer an online records search?
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it → find → search
"
Important: Many government sites end in .gov, but not all official recorder sites do.
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sites → end → .gov
If a page uses a different ending, reach it through your county government's main site rather than trusting an advertisement or an unsolicited email.
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page → use → advertisement
Step 2: Open the recorded-document search
On the recorder's website, look for a button or menu labeled something like:
- Official Records Search
- Land Records
- Recorded Documents
- Grantor/Grantee Index
- Real Estate Records
You may need to accept a disclaimer before the search opens.
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search → open → disclaimer
Some counties show the index for free but charge for downloadable or certified copies.
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counties → show → copies
Others make you create a free account.
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you → make → account
Avoid third-party sites that immediately request a credit card for a basic search.
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that → avoid → search
Return to the official government page and confirm whether it links to that service before paying anything.
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it → return → anything
Leave off "Street," "Road" or "Avenue" if the full address returns no result.
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address → leave → result
- Parcel number or APN: Enter it without spaces or dashes if the site rejects the format printed on your tax bill.
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site → enter → bill
Some systems want Last name, First name, while others have separate boxes.
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others → want → boxes
- Trust or business name: If a trust, LLC or estate owns the property, search its exact legal name too.
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trust → own → name
If nothing appears, widen the date range and try former names, a spouse's name or another spelling used on older documents.
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nothing → appear → documents
Some recorder databases do not support address searches, which is why the parcel number and owner names are helpful.
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number → support → searches
Step 4: Review the documents carefully
Find the deed from when you bought or last transferred the property.
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you → review → property
…and 47 more, not listed.
The Aporia
