How Common Is Home Title Theft?

Is it true that your house’s title or legal rights are stolen just like someone steals a wallet? I am here to inform you that, unfortunately, that happens, and it is devastating. But before panicking and jumping to conclusions, continue reading to learn more about this new form of cyber stealing, including what exactly home title theft is, how it happens, and what measures you need to take to protect your home title. 

What Is Home Title Theft?

The feeling of owning a home cannot be compared with anything. It is a feeling of joy and pride. Nevertheless, this may soon become a problem because owning a house means you are a target for home title theft. 

Now, you may wonder what home title theft is? Title theft is a type of cybercrime. It means someone obtains your personal information through multiple hacking methods, such as phishing, mail theft, or looking at discarded bank statements. After that, they use the stolen information and manage to get a deed, which is a legal document signed and delivered, especially regarding the ownership of property or legal rights. 

Since we live in a world of technology, it will not come as a surprise that many deeds and home titles are now available to the public online. Because of this, it has never been simpler for scammers to access your home title’s documents and download and falsify the property papers. On top of that, unfortunately, there is not a big difference between a legitimate property paper and a false one. 

How to Check Your Home Title

Of course, there are still some courses of action that you can take to prevent this from happening. Here are five things that you can do to check your home title:

• Check your home title records. As I have said, you can access your property papers on the records website. They are free of charge, and you can even register to be notified and get an alert every time any document is recorded with your name on it. 
• Get owner’s title insurance. To safeguard your property from claims or liens now and in the future, consider obtaining this. 
• Watch out for new or missing bills. Always pay attention to your bills or bank statements. These are very easy to steal and provide a lot of information. Make sure you receive all of them because if they disappear, it may become a risk for your home title. 
• Pay attention to your credit. Always check your bank statements and be extra careful about home equity loan inquiries. This can be an easy way to steal your property papers, so make sure you activate the notifications from your application regarding any changes and, if possible, use face ID to be sure that only you can access those accounts. 
• Take into account adding security software. As I have said, this theft is a digital crime. Thus, to ensure you avoid it, think about getting security software that will protect all the gadgets in the house (laptops, phones, tablets, and so on). You can periodically scan your devices, which will let you know if there has been a data breach and how to fix it. 

Signs of Home Title Theft

While early detention may be a way to prevent this from happening, it may be possible to become a victim even if you follow the tips provided before. However, here are some signs that can help you figure out if you are a victim of this digital crime: 

• Suspicious notices — if you receive a bank notice saying that you have unpaid loans, even if you know you don’t have any active loans, it could be a first red flag. Another red flag is receiving emails or notices stating that you have been pre-approved for a credit card you haven’t even applied for. Watch out for this because they are very common. If you encounter them, contact your bank immediately.
• Unknown transactions — if you notice financial activity that wasn’t done by you or someone close can mean that your financial information has been stolen and that someone is using them to get loans. 
• Missing bills — As I have said, pay attention to the bills that you receive because many scammers can change your billing address so that you will not be notified about the loans that they are trying to get in your name. 
• Signs of activity — This is a very old method. Many burglars can break into one of your properties if it is unoccupied, take photos of the property, and post them online. Then, they can easily sell the house without you finding out. So, to be sure, install a security system that will inform you of any sign of activity on the property. 

Make sure to do these steps and to check regularly. Thus, your chances of becoming a victim of this fraud will decrease.

How to Protect Your Property Title

All the tips provided before can help you protect your property title. However, if you want to be extra safe, you can contact companies specialized in title theft protection, and they can help you acquire such protection. They will regularly monitor your property information to see any suspicious activity and will immediately alert you to confirm whether you do certain actions. As I have stated, you can also register to be notified of any document recorded with your name. All you have to do is ask your county government if they offer such services.

Conclusion

As we have seen, this situation is encountered more often than one might think and can change your life completely. Even with these precautions, it’s still possible for your data to be leaked online if the websites that you access are not secured, putting you in danger of being compromised. Nevertheless, if you follow all the steps presented above and do this regularly, you can stay ahead of these scammers, and prevent them from stealing your property title. Make sure you know all these items and make the right call to action.

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