Norfolk Register Of Deeds Warns Against Real Estate Fraud

NORFOLK COUNTY, MA — Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell reminded Norfolk County homeowners of a free online Consumer Notification Service offered by the Registry of Deeds to protect county property owners against fraud.

Register O'Donnell said the FBI has continued to warn against mortgage and real estate fraud.

"Many jurisdictions across the country have reported unscrupulous individuals recording fraudulent land documents making it appear they own another person’s home or property," Said O'Donnell, "Fortunately, we have not seen this type of crime take place in Norfolk County. My intent here is not to upset county property owners but to make sure my office is proactively helping consumers protect their home.”

Any owner of property in the twenty-eight communities comprising Norfolk County can join over 1,200 homeowners already utilizing the service by signing up for the Consumer Notification Service free of charge by doing the following: Go to the Registry’s website and click on the Consumer Notification Service Get Consumer “Alerts” button to complete the initial registration. From there, follow the remaining sign-up instructions.

Once you have signed up for the service, each subscriber will be able to input two names, individual or business, and the corresponding city or town in Norfolk County for monitoring. They can monitor their real estate records for such activities as changes in deeds, mortgages, mortgage discharges, non-mortgage liens, Homesteads or other land documents that might be recorded against the property.

“The process to sign-up for the service is user friendly and will only take a few minutes of your time. While the program will not prevent the fraud, it will allow residents to find out about it in a more timely manner," O’Donnell said.

If a document is recorded against one of the names inputted for monitoring, the subscriber will be alerted via email, usually within 24 hours. The person can check the Registry’s online land research records as an option. If a subscriber believes a fraudulent land record has been recorded against their property, they should then immediately contact the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101. After talking with a Registry employee, the subscriber will be given a list of public safety referrals by the Registry.