BBB Tip: Protect against home title fraud

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — Belinda McCormick, vice president of the Better Business Bureau Serving North Alabama (BBB), is informing people about a way to protect themselves from home title stealing.

“We’ve not seen a lot of a ton of title stealing here in the area yet, but nationally, there has been title stealing,” McCormick said. “That is where somebody goes and finds a deed for your property and changes the name of your property and it’s no longer your property.”

The BBB receives many calls from homeowners asking whether they should purchase special insurance to protect the title of their homes.

McCormick said the insurance cannot completely protect you against home title fraud, but they can monitor your title, alert you to signs of fraud and help you recover from fraud if it happens.

However, there is a step you can take for yourself at no cost in order to protect your home title.

According to McCormick, the Madison County Probate Court has partnered with the Tax Assessor’s office to create a property change notification system.

The system is set up to alert property owners via email if a deed is filed in the Madison County Probate Office changing the listed owner’s name in the Tax Assessor’s office.

To sign up, visit this website and type in your PIN, which can be found on your property tax notice received from a tax collector. Your PIN can also be found here by searching for your property.

It’s free for property owners to participate, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

If you don’t live in Madison County, you can check with your county’s Tax Assessor to see if they have a similar program.

McCormick said that if you fall victim to this type of scam, you should report it to the Tax Assessor immediately and consult a real estate attorney.

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