Burlington County Considering Service To Combat Fraud

Burlington County is considering a new service designed to protect residents from scams and identity theft, officials announced. The Property Alert Service would allow residents in all of Burlington County’s municipalities to have their name and real estate monitored in real time within the Burlington Clerk’s Office and be immediately alerted to any possible fraudulent activity, at no cost.

The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders is expected to vote on the new service at its Sept. 12 meeting. If approved, residents will be able to sign up for the new service online through the county website or www.propertyfraudalert.com in the coming weeks.

Residents would be notified by email or phone whenever a document, such as a deed, lien, or mortgage, has been recorded with the Clerk’s Office that contains their name.

“The threat of mortgage fraud and identity theft crimes continue to rise, and all too often victims of these types of fraudulent activities are unaware their homes or identity have been stolen until it’s too late,” Burlington County Clerk Tim Tyler said. “I am pleased we will soon offer a new Property Alert Service that will provide an early warning to any signs of potential scams and give our residents much-needed peace of mind.”

Property and mortgage fraud is the fastest growing white-collar crime in the United States, according to the FBI. It is standard practice in New Jersey and other places throughout the country to properly record property records with the relevant county office, officials said. In the last year, the Burlington County Clerk’s Office processed almost 100,000 property records.

The clerk’s office has made a concerted effort to be on the lookout for documents that may involve property or mortgage related fraud, but it is difficult to monitor the millions of documents on file in the office, officials said. Fraud can occur as simply as someone recording a forged document to make it appear that they are now the owner of a property.

“Remembering to regularly check your property records for fraud becomes harder and harder to do with our busy lives” said Tyler, who added that doing so is the best way for residents to protect themselves. “This service will act as a first layer of defense for our property-owners, while allowing out-of-state family members to monitor the homes of aging loved ones. If a warning system is not in place, it can be very difficult to catch a thief who may go undetected for years.”

The Burlington County Clerk’s Office is located at 50 Rancocas Road in Mount Holly and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, residents can call the Clerk’s Office at 609- 265-5122.

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