Protecting Your Home From Title Theft

Protecting Your Home From Title Theft

Officer Daniel Strassenberg Public Information Office

Friday, November 7, 2025 at 4:56 p.m.

The Spokane Police Department would like community members to be aware of a new fraud/scam making its way across the country. Home title/deed theft is a crime where criminals target a home and by stealing the owners identity, create and falsify documents transferring the home title to another person for financial gain. Criminals will use forged documents such as fake identification to start a real estate transaction. Once that is done, they can file paperwork with the county register of deeds to transfer ownership of the home to themselves or a third party. At that point, criminals can borrow against the value of the home or sell it outright.

Often, the legal owners of the home are not aware of what has happened until it is too late, and the home ownership is lost. There are things community members can do to be on the lookout for crimes such as this. There are services that offer home title monitoring, but you can also do that on your own for free by frequently checking the county register for your property. Look for any filings that you did not initiate and any liens that may be listed. If you suspect fraud, report it immediately.

This type of fraud not only focusses on homes but also land parcels. Being proactive goes a long way to avoid being a victim of a crime such as this.

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Officer Daniel Strassenberg 509-835-4568 [email protected]