Fraud Prevention Initiatives

Protect Your Property: Fraud Guard

In 2012, the Recorder of Deeds first adopted a simple, web-based tool that notifies participating constituents by email when any land documents under a pre-registered name(s) are recorded. This is a free service that provides you with early warning of potential property fraud that may be committed in your name. Individual users can even register the name of a business. You can sign up using the below link and instructions.

An email notification will be sent when a document is recorded under the registered name(s) containing a link to the recorded document.

Guardianship Fraud Prevention

The Chester County Recorders of Deed’s Office and the Chester County Register of Wills and Orphan’s Court have coordinated efforts to implement a pilot program designed to protect our incapacitated seniors and disabled residents from any fraudulent transfer of their property. This allows both departments to track and compare county guardianship orders with proposed deeds to ensure an incapacitated person’s property is not transferred illegally. Data obtained from this pilot program will help quantify elder abuse in Chester County and be shared with all relevant agencies to help protect our most vulnerable residents from future fraud.

Seniors in Pennsylvania are the victims of approximately $1.2 billion worth of elder fraud each year, according to recent studies. The scams come in many forms, ranging from telemarketing cons to outright theft of home equity and personal property. The scammers can include total strangers, family members, trusted care givers, legal guardians and more. One particularly egregious type of crime targeting seniors and incapacitated homeowners involves the fraudulent transfer of their property without the informed consent of the property owner, their legal guardian or the court system that is empowered to protect them.