Several years ago, an elderly Lackawanna County woman needed a new roof on her home, so she applied to a local bank for a mortgage to pay for it.
She was surprised to learn there was already a mortgage on the property, one that she knew nothing about.
Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds Evie Rafalko McNulty assisted the woman in contacting appropriate authorities to resolve the issue. But, because it had been years since the fraudulent mortgage had been obtained, the situation was a difficult one.
Now, McNulty is encouraging homeowners to register for a program which will alert them to any activity involving their real estate before the end of the day.
Should there be anything suspect on the report, homeowners could contact the District Attorney’s office immediately and the process of rectifying the situation could be started immediately.
McNulty posted information about the “Free Fraud Notify Service,” this week, after her office received several reports of such suspected activity within the last week.
In each case, the fraudulent attempt was thwarted by homeowners who were alerted to the potential scams.
Still, McNulty finds it suspect that there has seemingly been an uptick in the fraudulent attempts during the last two weeks.
In each case, scammers provided fraudulent identification to real estate agents, indicating they wanted to sell “their property.”
The real estate agents had concerns about the legitimacy of the requests and, through some research, identified them as fraudulent.
The scammers were attempting to fraudulently “sell” extensive acreages in Benton Township, Scott Township and Blakely, according to the LeaAnn Spitz of the Recorder of Deeds Office.
“They’re impersonating people. They’re making fake IDs, they’re saying, ‘I own this property and I’m looking to sell it,’” Spitz said.
Because the IDs were transmitted to real estate agents digitally, both the Recorder of Deeds office and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s office are in possession of the copies of the fake licenses.
“It was very coincidental that over about four days, Wednesday and Thursday of last week and then another one on Monday. People called to alert us of fake IDs and that people were trying to impersonate them,” she said. “And, we were like, ‘What is happening here?’”
The Recorders of Deeds office offers the free Fraud Notify service, which is available on the county website, where property owners can add names, business names and PIN numbers.
“All that is needed is an email address,” Spitz said. “In the event something is recorded, you are notified the same day.”
The Recorded of Deeds office will then assist homeowners in contacting the District Attorney’s office and State Police to assist them in reversing the transactions.
Homeowners can sign up for the program at https://www.lackawannacounty.org/news_detail_T8_R156.php or at the Recorder of Deeds office.
“Recent reports involve scammers impersonating property owners and attempting to sell properties using fraudulent identification and documents. These incidents are currently under investigation,” District Attorney Brian Gallagher said. “While cases have been identified, residents should remain vigilant, as similar attempts may not yet have been detected.”
In addition to signing up for the Fraud Notify program, homeowners should also:
• Review property records with the Recorder of Deeds Office
• Confirm mailing address for tax bills and official notices is accurate
• Watch for any unexpected or suspicious activity related to your property
If anything appears unusual or unauthorized, homeowners are asked to report it immediately to county authorities.