Continuing his efforts to protect homeowners against dishonest individuals, Register of Deeds William P. O’Donnell reminds residents about the availability of a free on-line Consumer Notification Service offered by the Registry to protect Norfolk County property owners against fraud.

“The F.B.I. has reported that property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes in the United States. Multiple jurisdictions across the country have reported individuals recording fraudulent documents and making it appear like they own another person’s home or property. While we have been fortunate that this problem has not revealed itself here in Norfolk County, I want to make sure my office is proactively and vigorously protecting consumers,” noted Register O’Donnell.

Any owner of real property in the twenty-eight communities comprising Norfolk County can sign-up for the Consumer Notification Service free of charge by doing the following: Go to the Registry’s website, www.norfolkdeeds.org, and click on the Consumer Notification Service Get Consumer Alerts button to complete the initial registration. From there, follow the remaining sign-up instructions.

Once you have signed up for the service, each subscriber will be able to input two names, individual or business, and the corresponding city or town in Norfolk County for monitoring. They can monitor their real estate for such activities as changes in deeds, mortgages, non-mortgage liens, Homesteads or other land documents that might be recorded against the property.

If a document is recorded against one of the names inputted for monitoring, the subscriber will be alerted via email, usually within 24 hours. The person can check the Registry’s on-line land research records at www.norfolkresearch.org as an option. If a subscriber believes a fraudulent land record has been recorded against their property, they should then immediately contact the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center at (781) 461-6101. The subscriber would also be given a list of public safety referrals by the Registry.

Register O’Donnell concluded, “As your Norfolk County Register of Deeds, I take very seriously the Registry’s responsibility to provide secure, accurate and accessible land records for all Norfolk County communities. I also want to be proactive in ensuring that there is no fraudulent activity related to land document recordings. By offering the Consumer Notification Service, we are able to provide a level of protection to the program’s subscribers against unscrupulous individuals who would attempt to commit real estate fraud. We are delighted already to have more than 400 residents sign-up for the free service.”

To learn more about these and other Registry of Deeds events and initiatives, “like” us on facebook.com/NorfolkDeeds or follow us on twitter.com/NorfolkDeeds.

The Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, located at 649 High Street, Dedham is the principal office for real property in Norfolk County. The Registry is a resource for homeowners, title examiners, mortgage lenders, municipalities and others with a need for secure, accurate, accessible land record information. Residents in need of assistance can contact the Registry of Deeds Customer Service Center via telephone at (781) 461-6101, or on the web at www.norfolkdeeds.org.

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