F R O M T H E C L E R K O F C O U R T & C O M P T R O L L E R C i n d y S t u a r t – C l e r k o f C o u r t & C o m p t r o l l e r , T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t
Clerk ’ sofficeoffersfree propertyfraudalertforhillsborough Countypropertyhomeowners
Clerk ’ spropertyfraudalertnotifieshomeownerswhenadocument isrecordedusingtheirnameorbusinessname .
Hillsborough County homeowners strive to protect their property in many ways , including insurance , storm shutters , and burglar alarm systems . But did you know property and mortgage fraud is one of the fastest-growing white-collar crimes in the United States , according to the FBI ? What ’ s even more astonishing is that Florida ranks # 3 in the nation for this type of fraud .
County Clerk of the Court and Comptroller Cindy Stuart is taking proactive steps by providing a free , online automated service to any Hillsborough County property owner who signs up to have their name monitored to track possible fraudulent activity . This free monitoring service notifies you by phone or email whenever a record is recorded in Hillsborough County , using your name or business name .
Signing-up by scanning the QR code to the right with your phone is easy .
Scammers record fake deeds , making it appear as if they own homes that are not actually theirs . They then trick people into giving them money to rent or buy those homes . If you receive an alert about activity not initiated by you , this early notification can provide valuable time to stop criminals in their tracks . Reviewing your property records is an important way to protect yourself from fraud . If you receive an alert :
• This means a document has been recorded that matches your monitoring criteria and you have been notified within 48 hours .
• The alert will provide you with an instrument number , which is the unique number given to each recorded document .
• You can search our online official records index to view the actual document .
• For assistance , please contact the Clerk ’ s Recording Department at ( 813 ) 276-8100 . Recently , both Florida House and Senate lawmakers passed new legislation to be sent to the Governor ’ s desk
to address real property fraud . Per House Bill 1419 , a pilot program will be rolled out in Lee County , Florida . It allows the Clerk of the Circuit Court to require a government-issued photo ID before recording a deed or other instrument . The Clerk would retain the person ’ s name , address , and copy of identification , although that information would not be available on the Clerk ’ s public website . The legislation would also require the Clerk to submit a report of all persons who recorded deeds in person , through an electronic recording service , and the types of ID cards produced by these persons .
Our office is working to take additional steps to prevent property fraud by including the tracking of notary commission numbers to assist local law enforcement when multiple crimes are committed .
Addressing citizen concerns about property fraud is a top priority for Clerk Stuart . Clerk Stuart works closely with the Sheriff and State Attorney to ensure our county is well-prepared to reduce property fraud locally and throughout Florida . While this service may not prevent fraud from happening , it provides an early warning system that will allow property owners to take appropriate action should they believe fraudulent activity has occurred with their property . n
2 0 J u l - A u g 2 0 2 3 | H C B A l A W Y E R