Free Real Estate Fraud Protection is available in San Diego County

This blog discusses an exciting new development in the prevention of real estate fraud in San Diego County!

Real estate fraud prevention emails

The County of San Diego Assessor/Recorder/County Clerk has partnered with the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office to fight real estate fraud by providing property owners with email alerts when transactions occur on their property.

A new free service called owner alert is a fraud notice service that will send an immediate email notification to subscribed property owners anytime a document is recorded with the office transferring title on the registered property.

Traditionally, homeowners have been able to purchase Title Lock insurance to monitor any fraudulent attempts to change the ownership of a property. These services typically cost $15-$20 per month. In the case of title fraud, often a thief will change the owner of a property to themselves and then use that property to obtain loans against the property’s equity, walking away with the cash funds.

How to get started

If you own property in San Diego County, you can protect yourself by going to the owner alert website and entering your information which includes your Assessor Parcel Number (APN). You can find this on your property tax bill or use the ParcelQuest look up tool.

Financial tips for San Diego residents

Protecting your assets is an important part of managing your wealth. Real estate fraud is only one way that you could be preyed upon. There are phishing schemes and other cybersecurity risks that wealth individuals in San Diego must be aware of.

A complete wealth management service takes these into account, as well as your financial planning and investment management goals. We are a wealth management firm in La Jolla serving families across California and the country. If you would like to discuss, please set up a time to talk to us.

CONTRIBUTOR

Andrew Hoffarth, CFP® is a Lead Advisor with Financial Alternatives. When he’s not enjoying outdoor activities with his family, he excels at finding solutions for complex financial situations, allowing successful families to focus on what is most important to them. Schedule a time to chat with Andrew.

Sources

A special thanks to Dan Williams at San Diego Lending for bringing this to our attention.