Kent County is offering property fraud alerts for its residents.
The property fraud alert software is free, and you would be alerted by email every time a land records document is recorded with the Kent County Recorder of Deeds office.
"Registration is free. They have to come to my website and register, and then they will get - an alert - an email alert anytime we in the recorder of deeds do anything with their property," said Kent County Recorder of Deeds Eugenia Thornton.
The website is co.kent.de.us/recorder-of-deeds-office.aspx, or you can go directly to pfa.uslandrecords.com.
The goal is to help residents know if someone forges their identification, and then lists a property to sell it. It happens mostly with vacant homes or lots and vacation homes.
Thornton says Kent now joins its neighbors to the north and south in having this protection available.
"I noted that Sussex and New Castle had this protection, and we didn't. So, I ran on that as an issue,” said Thornton. “So as soon as I took over I started exploring how we could get it as fast as possible because it really did feel that with the other two counties having it and us not, it actually put us to be a little bit more vulnerable."
Thornton notes there was a previous case of seller impersonation in Kent County with a vacant lot, and in Sussex County with vacation homes.
She adds senior citizens are the most vulnerable and suggests if they don’t have an email to ask a relative or executor of their will, power of attorney, or attorney to register you using that email for alerts.
Thornton does say you can call her office directly at (302) 744-2321, and she will help you get registered.
