What to Do If You Notice Suspicious Activity on Your Property

Don't contact the suspected party. Take screenshots and download PDFs of the public records as they exist right now — the record is your evidence. Call your county recorder's office to verify the filing and ask what their fraud-reversal process looks like.

File a report with local law enforcement (most departments have a financial-crimes unit) and your state attorney general's consumer protection division. Notify your title insurer if you have a policy; many policies cover legal defense even years after closing. Consult a real estate attorney before signing anything in response — the wrong response can complicate unwinding the fraud.

If a lender has already disbursed funds against the forged filing, contact that lender directly with the law-enforcement report number. Freeze your credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. PropertyShield+ Premium members get concierge support through this entire sequence.

Investigators move faster when the evidence is already organized. A good packet contains: a one-page timeline of what you noticed and when, screenshots and certified copies of every relevant recording, a copy of your government-issued ID, your title insurance policy declarations, and contact info for the title company, lender, and recorder. Save it as a single PDF — most fraud units accept email submissions.

If a fraudulent deed has already been recorded, the path to clear it almost always runs through a quiet-title action in civil court. Attempting to file a corrective deed yourself can create a competing chain of title that makes resolution harder. A short consult — often under an hour — establishes whether you need full representation or can submit a court-ordered correction with the recorder.