SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA CO. (WOLF) — The Lackawanna County Recorder of Deeds Office is warning property owners after several recent fraud attempts involving scammers allegedly trying to sell land they don’t own. Officials say fake IDs are being used to target local properties, and now they’re urging residents to sign up for a free protection program.
Earlier this week, the office was alerted to three separate cases involving people allegedly impersonating property owners and attempting to sell land in Lackawanna County.
LeaAnn Spitz with the Recorder of Deeds Office says real estate attorneys were the first to notice the red flags.
“The real estate attorneys thought, ‘Okay, there’s something wrong here. Let me go investigate,’ and actually reached out to those residents and thought, ‘okay, this is something fishy happening here.’ In turn, residents of Lackawanna County reached out to our office to make sure that there was no fraudulent activity on their property,” said Spitz.
Two of the cases involved large properties in Benton and Scott Townships, but officials warn that any property is at risk.
“We tried to narrow down to large acreage, but it’s been lots and homes. The three instances we were alerted to last week were all different. Different properties, different areas, not just all the city of Scranton, it’s made its way around Lackawanna County,” said Spitz.
Officials say even homeowners who have already paid off their mortgage can still be targeted.
Spitz says one Lackawanna County woman discovered a $100,000 mortgage from 20 years ago attached to her property, which she says had nothing to do with her family.
Since posting warnings online, the county says more than one hundred residents have already signed up for the free deed fraud notification program, which they say is simple.
Residents can enroll through the county website and receive email alerts anytime documents are filed under their name.
“We got a call Wednesday, and then Thursday, and then again on Monday, and we said, ‘let’s slow down here. There’s something happening. We need to get this program out to help everyone, the citizens of Lackawanna County, and get everyone aware of what’s taking place here,” said Spitz.
District Attorney Brian Gallagher is also urging residents to review their property records, verify mailing addresses, and watch for suspicious activity tied to their homes or land.
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To sign up, click here.