Property Fraud Alert

Property Fraud

Property fraud occurs when an individual with no ownership rights records a forged deed, mortgages, liens, and other documents, to sell or transfer property to another person.

What Is Property Fraud?

Clerk Miller has made property fraud a top priority in St. Lucie County. Since her election in 2020, Clerk Miller has implemented a property fraud notification system, at no cost to St. Lucie County property owners, to begin to address fraudulent property transactions in St. Lucie County. With statewide concern in this area the Florida State Legislature passed HB 1419 in 2023, which provides property owners with the right to open a court case to restore their property rights.

Total Subscribers:
9,003 as of 8/9/2023

Sign Up for Property Fraud Alert

To help protect property owners from fraud, the Clerk's office offers a free service to notify citizens if a document has been recorded in their name. Property Fraud Alert detects all documents being recorded and sends email and text notifications within 24 hours to registered users.

The system is designed to protect property owners from scammers that record fraudulent deeds, mortgages, liens, and other documents to make it appear as if they own the homes. If left undiscovered, this process tricks individuals and companies into loaning money or renting the property and any debts can be unknowingly applied to the real homeowners. Sign up today and start protecting your most valuable investment.

Sign Up for Property Fraud

If You Receive an Alert

If a document is recorded that matches your monitoring criteria, you will receive an email and/or text alert within 24 hours. The alert will include a link to the document being recorded in the Clerk's Official Record.

If the name and property are not yours or if you recognize the filed document, no further action must be taken.

If the property is yours, but you do not recognize the document filed, you may be a victim of property fraud.

If you believe you have been the victim of property fraud, correcting your title can be a complicated process. The St. Lucie County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller has created this list of steps you should take immediately to correct your title and affirm your ownership.

Steps to Take for Victims of Property Fraud

Deed forgery and property fraud is a criminal act under Florida Statute 817.535. St. Lucie County’s local law enforcement agencies take this crime seriously and have detectives on staff to investigate these crimes with the hope of bringing the fraudsters to justice. The police report that is created will be helpful to you in correcting or restoring the title on your property.

Contact your local law enforcement agency immediately if you suspect you are a victim.

• St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office: 772-462-7300
• Port St. Lucie Police Department: 772-871-5000
• Fort Pierce Police Department: 772-461-3820

Through this new legislation there are forms to help you remove the fraudulent document. A Complaint to Quiet Title based upon a Fraudulent Conveyance is a civil lawsuit that will request the Court to declare the offending document as fraudulent.  All applicable filing fees will apply. A final judgment “quieting title” will direct the Clerk to remove the fraudulent document from the Official Record. On our website you will find instructions and a simplified form to assist you in filing a complaint to quiet title. For easy access please click here to view the form.

A lis pendens puts the public on notice that there is a lawsuit involving the property and helps prevent any subsequent sales or transfers of the property until the court resolves the dispute. The court case (step #2) must be filed prior to recording the lis pendens.

In a fraudulent recording, a recorded document may change the property owner in the Property Appraiser’s and Tax Collector’s systems. As a result, TRIM notices and property tax bills may be sent to a different address. Unpaid taxes can eventually result in the property being sold at Tax Deed Auction.

If you have not already done so, sign up for Property Fraud Alert, a free service offered by your St. Lucie County Clerk. Property Fraud Alert notifies you within 24 hours of any documents filed that affect your property. While it cannot prevent a fraudulent document from being filed, it can allow you to respond quickly to address any problems.

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If You Need Help

Property Fraud Alert FAQs   Contact Property Fraud