PHOENIX, AZ — There's a new free tool designed to help homeowners catch title fraud before it's too late.
The Arizona Department of Real Estate's Early Real Estate Sales Alert System alerts homeowners the moment someone attempts to sell their property through escrow — giving them the chance to flag it as fraud immediately.
The system tracks a property's address, which sets it apart from the existing Maricopa County Title Alert System, which monitors when a document is recorded under a homeowner's name.
RELATED: Free title alert services, another line of defense to protect Arizonans against fraud
Debi Gotleib, who helped the department launch the system, knows firsthand how devastating title fraud can be.
"There are a lot of people that don't understand how easy this is and how devastating it is until it's too late," Gotleib said.
Gotleib's father was the victim of title fraud. She didn't discover his home had been transferred into someone else's name until after he had passed away.
"I typed in his address. This is December 19 of 2019, and Zillow's name was on the deed, and it had been on the market for a day," Gotleib explained.
Detectives tracked down the fraudster who sold the home to Zillow, but it took a lengthy legal battle to recover the title.
The new alert system could have prevented the ordeal entirely.
"If I would have had this when this happened to me, I mean, it would never have happened," Gotleib said.
Homeowners can register as many properties as they want through the system at no cost. You can also sign up to monitor a loved one's address.
"If you have an elderly parent or a next-door neighbor, maybe doesn't watch their email as often. You can be that person for them," Gotleib said.
Registration is available on the Arizona Department of Real Estate's website.
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