Deed theft is a growing white-collar crime. Companies like Home Title Lock, Deed Shield, and LifeLock Home Title Protect aggressively advertise services to protect you, often using scare tactics. These services may be unnecessary.
So what is deed theft?
Imagine a Lake County cabin owner who visits her property only a few times a year. Her paid-off, mortgage-free “North Shore” retreat attracts a scammer who finds her details in public land records. Using a forged ID and notary stamp, the fraudster files a fraudulent “quitclaim deed” at the county recorder’s office, transferring ownership to a shell company they control.
The nightmare begins when the real owner pulls into her driveway for the first time in months and finds the locks changed and a “For Sale” sign on the lawn. By then, the scammer has already used the fraudulent deed to secure a $200,000 “hard money” loan against the property’s equity and vanished with the cash. The owner is left not just with a stolen title but with a massive legal bill and a looming foreclosure from a lender who technically holds a lien on her cabin, which she still physically occupies but no longer legally owns on paper.
While document fraud occurs nationwide, it is not evenly distributed. As of 2026, data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the FBI indicate that specific geographic regions and property types are significantly more “fraud-prone.”
The Northeast portion of the United States is currently the primary hotspot for deed and title fraud. A staggering 92% of real estate professionals in this region reported awareness of fraud in their local markets over the last year. New York and Rhode Island have consistently ranked at the top for mortgage and application fraud risk. States like Florida and California are also high-risk due to their large senior populations and significant numbers of vacation homes.
Local county officials assure property owners that they are aware of the potential for these crimes and that there has been no incident of deed fraud in the Arrowhead. Lori Ekstrom, Lake County Recorder, attributes that to Minnesota’s long history of strong, secure recording regulations. Lake County offers a free alert service that notifies property owners when a document is recorded on their deed (https://www.co.lake.mn.us/recorder/document-alert/). The service is provided by idocmarket. com, and registration on the site is simple. Although once a document is recorded on your deed, even if it is found to be fraudulent, county recorders can’t remove it. If a fraudulent filing happens to you, an attorney should be consulted.
Cook County has been the only Minnesota county that does not allow electronic filing, but that is changing. Holly Schroeder, Cook County Recorder, says that when the Tyler Technology system is implemented this spring, property owners will be able to register for alerts from idocmarket.com. Once registered, owners will receive notifications when any new documents are recorded against their property, similar to the process in Lake County.
Holly said that the notification system doesn’t prevent title fraud; it gives property owners the chance to quickly take remedial action to protect their interest in the property.
Fraudsters gravitate toward counties with fully digitized land records because digital records, while convenient, also make it easier for ‘title pirates’ to research owners, signatures, and parcel details from anywhere. Recognizing this risk can motivate property owners to stay vigilant and use alert systems as a key defense.
Grand Marais attorney Tyson Smith, who specializes in real estate law, remains cautious about e-recording systems. He recently encountered a document recording case that nearly amounted to deed fraud, involving a document signed several decades ago. Aside from this incident, Tyson has not heard of any deed theft in the Arrowhead. He continues to file documents in person at the County Recorders’ offices.
Most real estate attorneys and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) suggest that paying for the services of private companies offering title locks is unnecessary if your county offers a free alert system. The free government services do exactly what the paid ones do: monitor the name on the deed and send you an email or text the moment a document is recorded. It is your best defense against scammers.
