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Should You Fear Home Title Fraud? What Homeowners Need to Know

When Debi Gotlieb looked up her father's home online in late 2019, she was shocked by what she saw. "Zillow's name was on the deed," she told a local news station in Arizona, "and it had been on the market for a day."1

Gotlieb's father had died the year before, but the family still rightfully owned the property. When she arrived at the house, she found the locks changed and the home gutted.

"Everything my dad owned was gone," she said.

Gotlieb's family was a victim of home title fraud.

A criminal had forged her father's signature and notarization, taken possession of the home, and sold it, evidently to Zillow. In other cases of home title fraud, victims are still living in the home when they realize it's legally no longer theirs or arrive at a vacation or investment property to find it occupied.

While Gotlieb's story is true, how at risk is the average homeowner? According to the FBI, 11,727 people reported real estate fraud in 2022, totaling nearly $400 million in losses.2 Home title fraud is an untraceable subset of that figure, which includes mortgage fraud and other property-related scams. And yet, news reports across the U.S. and alarming advertisements for home title protection services raise concerns about the crime.3, 4, 5

Here's what homeowners should know about home title fraud and how to protect themselves — from both scammers and potentially questionable services claiming to protect them.


What Is Home Title Fraud?

Home title fraud is a scam in which a criminal fraudulently transfers a home title over to themselves, effectively stealing a home.6 Their aim is typically to either resell the home or use the home's equity to take out multiple loans before disappearing. The results can leave rightful homeowners in foreclosure or with strangers living in their second home.


How Does Home Title Fraud Work?

At its heart, home title fraud is an offshoot of identity theft. First, criminals decide who to target. Recently deceased homeowners can be targets, as their homes can be vacant. Elderly homeowners who might miss red flags, homeowners with second homes that often stand vacant, and longtime homeowners with substantial home equity are other likely victims.7

Criminals steal a homeowners identity using some of the old standards of identity fraud:8

  • Theft of mail containing sensitive information
  • Compromising personal computers through unsecured Wi-Fi networks
  • Malware, or a computer virus used to access a personal device
  • Phishing emails that trick recipients into sharing sensitive data

In summary, bad actors have adopted more sophisticated methods

Once the criminal has the sensitive information, they can use it to fraudulently transfer a home title over to themselves or a fake identity they control. The rise of electronic methods to manage documentation, such as home titles, has helped enable this scam.1

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Home title fraud was a fraction of the 11,700 real estate fraud claims in 2022. Among 230 million homeowners, the odds of falling victim are remote.

If the home is vacant, the fraudster may sell or rent the property. If the homeowner is living there, the criminal may take out loans against the home's equity. If the rightful owner isn't closely monitoring their finances and credit, they may not realize what has happened until they receive a foreclosure notice.


Is Home Title Fraud Risk Overblown?

Homeowners who see commercials for home title fraud protection services calling it “one of the fastest-growing' crimes in America,” may feel alarmed.9 However, it's important to correctly assess your level of risk before committing money to such services. With home title fraud a fraction of the 11,700 real estate fraud claims in 2022 among 230 million U.S. homeowners, the odds of falling victim are extremely remote.10

Although there are ads and commercials perpetuating the risk at an alarming scale, they appear to be nothing more than a scare tactic, according to experts.9

"Our members, they're not seeing it nationwide," an American Land Title Association (ALTA) lawyer told ABC News for a story in June of 2022.

State attorneys general have opened investigations on these companies and issued warnings to consumers advising against the service.11, 12 In addition to exaggerating the occurrence of the crimes, a key complaint is that the commercials are essentially offering title monitoring services, something that many state and county governments offer homeowners for free.13, 14, 15


What Can You Do To Protect Yourself

In addition to checking with your local government's register of deeds to find out about monitoring services, homeowners can protect themselves from home title fraud using some familiar identity protection best practices: 16


  • Check your credit report regularly — and follow up on anything unknown or unusual that appears on it.
  • Maintain strong passwords on all financial accounts.
  • Don't respond to suspicious emails, calls, or texts.
  • Collect mail regularly and shred sensitive information before throwing it away.
  • Review all financial statements closely each month.
  • Secure your home Wi-Fi with a strong password.
  • Use your home router's instructions to enable firewalls.
  • Use a VPN for public Wi-Fi. Also, consider using one at home.

In addition, watch for signs of suspicious activity, including: 17


  • React to all mail about unknown mortgage activity.
  • Follow up if expected bills stop arriving.
  • Investigate any notice of unpaid bills, even if it looks like an error.
  • Monitor unoccupied properties with a security system and react to any unexpected activity.

What To Do If You're a Victim of Home Title Fraud?

If you find yourself among the very few victims of home title fraud, you'll need help from several entities. You'll want to: 18

  • Contact your mortgage lender's fraud department.
  • File an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).19
  • File a police report at your local department (including your documented FTC claim).
  • Place a fraud alert with the three big credit bureaus — TransUnion,20 Experian,21 or Equifax.22 This will ensure that the credit bureaus take extra precautions before responding to a request for your credit report.
  • Review your credit report with all three big credit bureaus regularly. You can pull them for free (as frequently as once a week) at AnnualCreditReport.com.23
  • Change your log-ins for all financial accounts and review for suspicious activity.

It's always unsettling to learn about a form of fraud you didn't know about before. But homeowners should put home title fraud into perspective: it's incredibly rare, and if you've been actively protecting yourself from identity fraud, you're already taking most of the right steps.

Important disclosure information

Asset allocation and diversifications do not ensure against loss. This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.

  1. Ashley Paredez, "Arizona homeowners falling victim to deed fraud," ABC 15 Arizona, published June 2, 2023, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  2. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, "Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Report 2022," published March 22, 2023, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  3. Mike DeForest, "News 6 investigation prompts arrest over fraudulent deeds," News 6 Orlando, published January 10, 2022, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  4. Kendra Nichols, "Could a scammer have the deed to your home without you knowing?" ABC27 News, published December 2, 2021, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  5. Heather Sullivan, "Alvin man steals $442,000 selling houses that weren't his," Fox 26 Houston, published April 11, 2022, accessed February 7, 2024. Back

  6. Matt Tatham, "What Is Home Title Fraud?" Experian, published February 21, 2019, accessed February 7, 2024.

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  7. Meaghan Hunt, "Home title theft: How homeowners can protect themselves," Bankrate, published October 13, 2022, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  8. Kiah Treece, "Home Title Theft: How To Protect Yourself," Forbes Advisor, published February 3, 2023, accessed February 7, 2024. Back
  9. KSL TV5, "Ads claim title thieves can steal your home, but can you really lose your house?" Published January 24, 2022 , accessed February 8, 2024. Back
  10. Sa El, "How Many Homeowners Are There In The U.S.?" Simply Insurance," published February 4, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  11. Mike Levine, "Texas AG launches probe of Home Title Lock ads tied to right-wing celebrities," ABC 11 Eyewitness News, published February 10, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  12. Maryland Office of the Attorney General, "CONSUMER ADVISORY: What Is Home Title Lock Insurance, and Do You Really Need It?" published June 27, 2022, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  13. Marisa Oberle, "New tool hopes to prevent property fraud in West Michigan," Fox 17 West Michigan, published October 3, 2022, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  14. Sasha Hupka, "Amid a rise in title theft, Maricopa County has a new alert system. Here's what to know," Arizona Republic, published June 1, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  15. Maryland Office of the Attorney General, "Protect Yourself From Identity Theft," accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  16. USA.gov, "Identity theft," published August 7, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023. Back

  17. Emily Benda Gaylord, "Solved! Is Home Title Theft Real?" published February 21, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023.

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  18. Ashley Kilroy, "Home Title Theft: What You Should Know And How To Prevent It," Rocket Mortgage, published June 22, 2023, accessed November 14, 2023. Back
  19. Federal Trade Commission, "IdentityTheft.gov," accessed February 5, 2024. Back
  20. Transunion, "Fraud Alert," accessed February 5, 2024. Back
  21. Experian, "Fraud Alert," accessed February 5, 2024. Back
  22. Equifax, "Fraud and active duty alerts," accessed February 5, 2024. Back
  23. www.annualcreditreport.com, accessed February 5, 2024. Back