Cropped photo by Nick Youngson CC BY-SA 3.0 Pix4free https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story included the wrong link for the Fresno County Property Owners Protection Alert website. It has been updated.

Assessor-Recorder Paul Dictos announced on Tuesday that Fresno County is implementing a new program called Fresno County Property Owners Protection Alert (FCPOPA). 

FCPOPA is free, and property owners can sign up on the Fresno County website. The goal of FCPOPA is to warn property owners when any documents that include personal or property information are being recorded, which would warn them of any cases of real property title fraud.

“The FBI reports that Title Theft is one of the fastest growing cyber-crimes in America. I want to be a crime stopper to protect your property,” Dictos said in a press release.

 

Property owners must include their name, email address, and Assessor Parcel Number, which can be found on a property tax bill or the assessor’s website, to sign up for the program.

The release states, “Once enrolled, subscribed property owners will receive an immediate email notification anytime a document is recorded in the Recorder’s office that affects the owner’s registered property or matches the registered name.” 

If property owners believe that someone is attempting to steal the title of their property, they can also submit a form to Fresno County’s real estate fraud unit and mail it to the Office of the District Attorney at 2100 Tulare St. 

Also known as deed fraud, the scheme involves forging documents to record a phony transfer of property ownership, according to Realtor.com. Criminals can then sell the home, take out a mortgage on it or even rent it out.