Walworth County Register of Deeds Launches Land Notification Alerts Service
Advises Homeowners to Be Vigilant against Property Fraud
Walworth County Register of Deeds Michele Jacobs launched a new online Land Notification Alerts service on February 1, 2023. This free service is available to all Walworth County property owners.
“Property fraud is an all too common occurrence,” says Walworth County Register of Deeds Michele Jacobs. “We want to help consumers protect their most valuable asset. The notification alerts provide an early-warning system that will empower citizens to take prompt and appropriate action should they deem that fraudulent activity has occurred with their property.”
Property fraud occurs when someone illegally uses an owner’s name on records related to their property for financial gain or acquisition of their assets. With the Land Notification Alerts system, property owners sign up to be alerted when documents are recorded against their personal name or business. Each time an alert is triggered, an email is sent providing an update on any activity. Property owners are contacted only when a record with their name is recorded on an official document or suspicious recorded activity is suspected.
Unfortunately it is not possible to link a particular property to the system. Alerts are triggered only by the property owner’s name. Consequently Jacobs told the Banner that she recommends that users set up multiple alerts using different variations of their name. For example, if a woman’s name is Michele, it would be wise to register an extra alert using an additional L (Michelle). Also, for example, if a property is held in the name of the Richard & Mary Jones Family Trust, a user might wish to set up alerts for Richard & Mary Jones Family Trust, Richard Jones Family Trust, Richard Jones Trust, Mary Jones Trust, etc. The system is looking for the information that a user asks it to look for and it only takes a few minutes to create a variety of alerts. Do not be surprised, though, if you have a rather common name and you receive alerts that do not pertain to you.
The Land Notification Alert system can be accessed at https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/1117/Land-Notification. Property owners will need a Google or Yahoo account, which may be easily obtained at no cost, to sign up for the service. Alerts may be set up to be sent to any email account; Google and Yahoo are only used for verification purposes when a property owner accesses the system.
The Walworth County Register of Deeds files, records, and issues vital records, such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, and real estate documents. Each year, the office processes over 20,000 real estate documents and over 17,000 vital records in Walworth County. Learn more at https://www.co.walworth.wi.us/228/Register-of-Deeds.
Editor’s note: The Banner appreciates having permission to use the image on the homepage by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay.
