The Butler County Commissioners are being admirably proactive in the fight against title fraud by approving the addition of AlertMe software to the recorder of deeds office.

Title fraud happens when someone illegally transfers the title or deed of a house or property without the real property owner’s knowledge, usually by the use of forged documents or fake IDs. Once the criminal has established a false claim of ownership, he can sell the home, transfer its title or even take out loans using the property’s equity.

Often the victimized property owner has no idea their home’s title has been transferred, but the fraud can result in foreclosure or even eviction of the rightful owner.

It can take months or even years to prove the property's rightful owner.

Through title fraud scammers are not content with just stealing your identity or money, now they are working to sell your house. They get the money out of a fraudulent sale and the real owner is left with ruined credit, property tax problems and legal fees needed to reestablish rightful ownership.

It’s a big problem. According to Rocket Mortgage, between 2019 and 2023, the FBI recorded 58,141 victims of real estate fraud nationwide with losses totaling $1.3 billion.

The AlertMe software can’t prevent the theft of home titles, but it can notify a homeowner through text or an email when a document is filed in the recorder’s office in the homeowner’s name.

The $14,500 price for the software is a small price for the county to pay to help safeguard the property of its citizens.

In addition, homeowners can protect themselves by regularly checking their property records on the county’s recorder of deeds website.

These days, if a man’s home is his castle, that castle could come under a cyber siege.

— EF