Lubbock County residents can sign up for a new email alert designed to flag one of the most sensitive kinds of paperwork that can appear under their name: a deed, lien, or other property-related filing.
County officials say Fraud Notify is intended to serve as an early warning when a suspicious document is recorded in Lubbock County property records, KCBD reported.
Here's what to know
Through Tyler Technologies, Lubbock County has introduced Fraud Notify, an alert system that automatically emails people when a recorded property document in the county contains the name they registered.
According to KCBD, the notifications cover deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and notices filed in Lubbock County.
Court case filings are excluded from the service.
The County Clerk's office warns that property fraud is a growing white-collar crime in which someone files real estate documents to claim ownership for financial gain.
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By sending a notice after a filing is recorded, the system helps residents spot questionable documents before they enter county records unnoticed.
More background
The program is based on name registration.
After signing up, a person gets an email whenever the clerk's office records a filing that includes the name they submitted.
The document types identified by the county — deeds, deeds of trust, liens, and notices — can affect ownership records, financing records, or claims tied to a property.
The county also made clear that receiving an alert is only the first step.
As the clerk's office said in information cited by KCBD, anyone who gets one still needs to inspect the filing at 904 Broadway, Room 207, in Lubbock, or buy a copy for closer review.
Fraud Notify is available to the public through Tyler Technologies.
As noted in the clerk's announcement, people can enroll through the County Clerk section of the Lubbock County website.
Where can I learn more?
Homeowners sorting through property paperwork may run into other red flags that show up by mail or in notices. Here are a few examples involving insurance notices and HOA conflicts.
• In California, homeowners say bizarre nonrenewal notices raised concerns about dishonest insurance practices.
• A homeowner accused an HOA of tampering with property by disabling an outdoor outlet.
• One HOA sent a cease-and-desist letter after backing out of an HVAC approval.
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