(Spirit Lake)– A new tool is in the works to help in the battle against real estate fraud.
Dickinson County Recorder Ann Ditsworth told the Board of Supervisors Tuesday the Iowa Recorder’s Association and Iowa Land Records have teamed up to develop some new software that triggers a notification when someone files a document in your name…
“There are private companies that offer fraud protection and that might be what you’ve seen come through your mailbox. They sign up. We’ll watch your property for you. It’s monthly fees, things of that nature. I couldn’t say if they’re legitimate or not, but this, because it’s tied to the public record, will be a very clean and simple process. There will be no fees. It will simply be a notification that something has gone on public record with your name on it. And you, if you wish to know that, you will come in and sign up on the website. It’s not live yet, so it’s coming soon to iowalandrecords.org. So if you’d like to go to that website and go there and get a login. When it becomes available, it should be hopefully this month, then you will go on to that website and sign up and say yeah, I want an email or a notification that you filed something with my name on it.”
Ditsworth adds that so far at least, Iowa hasn’t seen a whole lot in real estate fraud compared to other states. But she says that could easily change…
“Iowa, because it is an abstract state, is a little different than many others as far as how much fraud we’re seeing. We’re not seeing a lot, but it is beginning. Other states have been fighting this for years. So that’s why we decided it was time to at least provide a notification. It doesn’t stop the fraud. It just makes you aware of filings.”
Ditsworth says primarily older citizens have been receiving the letters from firms purporting to offer real estate fraud monitoring services…
“They get targeted by many things but when they get a letter that says if you don’t pay us $300 your property might not be in your name anymore. That’s completely false, and I hope people aren’t paying that $300. We’ve seen the pieces of mail that are coming in. It’s frustrating for us. We do our best to help any person that comes in to the counter, not inviting everyone to come in and check your deed, but if you want to do that, that’s what we’re here for.”
Ditsworth notes the Iowa County Recorder’s Association and Iowa Land Records work on trying to combat real estate fraud is ongoing and won’t end here.
