What Can Be Done to Discover and Prevent Title Fraud? Individuals worried they are victims of title fraud or will be victims in the future can do several things to identify the fraud themselves or try to prevent it from happening: • Look for Signs of Title Fraud:5 ◦ Receiving bills for accounts not opened by the individual. ◦ Getting calls from debt collectors for debts the individual does not owe. ◦ Finding unfamiliar items on a credit report, such as mortgages or lenders not recognized by the individual. ◦ Receiving notice from the IRS that the individual has unpaid taxes. ◦ Discovering a piece of property has been rented out or sold. • Check Title/Property Records ◦ Each county has a different system for checking title and property records that anyone can search. Additionally, some counties have “property fraud alert” systems where individuals can sign up online to receive alerts any time their name is mentioned in new documents in the property recording system. This can help property owners quickly catch someone who is attempting to impersonate them. ◦ Nebraska: ▪ The following counties have free property fraud alerts: Buffalo and Scotts Bluff. ▪ Some counties’ property records can be searched for free at nebraskadeedsonline.us. ▪ Douglas County can be searched for a fee of $25 per day at www.dcregisterofdeeds.org/ premium-services. • Check Credit Reports ◦ A credit report search may reveal any mortgages or loans connected to an individual or their property they did not take out. • Protect Personal Information ◦ Protecting personal information by securing Wi-Fi networks and staying up to date on common information security risks (for example, phishing emails or scammers posing as lenders or real estate agents to get personal information) can help ensure title fraudsters cannot steal the information they need to forge deed or loan documents. • Check on Unoccupied or Vacant Property ◦ More vigilance on property left unoccupied could deter criminals from targeting an individual’s property in favor of a property where they are less likely to be caught. • Set up a Google Alert ◦ Individuals can set up Google alerts for their property’s address, and Google will notify them anytime their address is mentioned on the internet. This could help an individual catch someone trying to put their property up for sale or for rent. 23 NEBRASKA BANKER
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