Westport Town Clerk Offers Property Check Alerts

Press release from the Town of Westport:

WESTPORT, CT — First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker and Town Clerk Jeffrey Dunkerton announced today that Cott Systems’ PropertyCheck has been implemented on the Town records management system software, RECORDhub. In an invigorated effort to combat property and mortgage fraud in Westport, the 24/7 service allows residents to sign up to receive notifications when official documents are recorded on their property. There is no cost to participate.

Jeff Dunkerton explained, “Property fraud can occur if someone forges your identity, transfers your property into their name, and records the document. This fraudulent activity can make it appear as if that person owns your home or property, and you may not have any idea that this happened. It is, unfortunately, becoming more prevalent today as cyber criminals exploit every avenue to cause harm and steal from citizens.”

PropertyCheck works seamlessly in the background of the Westport records management RECORDhub software, automatically alerting if a document with a matching name is filed on the records. Homeowners may opt-in by creating a RECORDhub account, create alerts based on their name and choose their preference of alerts – email or text message. Mr. Dunkerton noted, “It’s also a good idea to set up multiple alerts based on first, middle and last name variations as well as spouses’ names. This will ensure that an alert will be triggered in case a recording happens with some slight variation of a name or names.”

First Selectwoman Tooker stated, “The Town of Westport has partnered with Cott Systems to offer this no-cost solution, adding an additional layer of protection to records data and allowing residents to feel safer in their homes and with their property information. We encourage all residents to sign up.”

To activate the benefits, Westport homeowners may sign up for PropertyCheck alerts at: https://recordhub.cottsystems.com/

This press release was produced by the Town of Westport. The views expressed here are the author’s own.