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Opinion
Larry Silvestri

Florida property title fraud is a problem. Here’s a way to protect yourself.
Identity thieves can get control of properties, making the legitimate owners’
lives miserable.

586
1
12




New housing development sprawls outward from Orlando. [ CARLTON WARD JR. | by
Carlton Ward Jr. ]
Published Feb. 22|Updated Feb. 22
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Property title fraud is a major issue around the state of Florida, as fraudsters
use identity theft to assume the identities of owners on properties they don’t
actually own.


Larry Silvestri [ Silvestri Law ]

Here’s what happens in one scenario: A fraudster assumes the identity of a
property owner, then files a quit claim deed on the property that appears to
convey ownership to an identity or entity controlled by the fraudster.



If the deed on its face appears to be in order, the County Clerk will record it
in the property records. Once the deed is filed, the fraudster can then act as
the property owner, potentially selling the property or in many cases, getting
money by using the property as collateral on a loan.

This could cost the actual property owner thousands of dollars and countless
hours of time to fix, because getting a fraudulent title transaction off the
property records is neither simple nor easy.

In fact, it can involve everything from filing a police report and hiring a
lawyer, to working with the property appraiser’s office and filing a so-called
“quiet title” lawsuit.

In any event, it is unlikely that your lawyer will be able to track down the
fraudsters, much less get money back from them.

In response to this issue, counties around the Tampa Bay area have launched
programs to alert property owners if a title transfer process has begun
involving their property, so owners can flag a transaction if it isn’t a deal
they initiated.

Registering for the programs is free, but if owners don’t know to sign up, they
have no way of knowing if someone is fraudulently transferring their property.

House Bill 289 (and companion Senate Bill 526), now under consideration in
Tallahassee, could be of some help. The bills would establish a pilot program in
Broward County in which Realtors, title agents, and attorneys would alert the
Broward property appraiser if a transaction is underway in that county. Under
the program, the Broward property appraiser would then send an alert to owners
who’ve registered for their county’s alert program as a second way to flag the
transaction.



But while this pilot program certainly could be useful, it won’t help property
owners who haven’t signed up for their county’s alert service.

With all this in mind, here are some tips for property owners:

— Sign up for your county’s alert service, which will flag any title transaction
in process that involves your property. This will give you notice to immediately
follow up on a fraudulent transfer, before the fraudster attempts to sell or
mortgage the property.

To sign up, visit your County Clerk’s website, or search online for your
county’s name with the term “title fraud alert service.” (Among the counties
where a service is available are Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando,
Manatee and Citrus.)


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— Encourage your state legislators to pass House Bill 289 and Senate Bill 526.
Any pilot programs like the one suggested for Broward can help government
officials figure out how to better protect property owners. While the bill under
consideration is not the magic solution, this program can help lead to answers.

Local government agencies don’t have the manpower to closely check title
transactions for possible fraud. Until more budget money is allocated to
addressing the problem at the county level, it is up to property owners to be
vigilant about the status of their properties.

Unfortunately, this problem may only get worse, as fraudsters become more and
more sophisticated in how they pull off identity theft. But by signing up for a
title alert, and by encouraging your legislators to pay attention to this issue,
solutions are possible.



Larry Silvestri is president of Silvestri Law, based in St. Petersburg. The firm
works in the real estate transactions sector, including title insurance and
closings.

Up next:Florida needs clearer laws for protecting victims of domestic and dating
violence





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