Across New York, deed theft \u2014 white-collar criminals using forgery or fraud to take homes away from their true owners \u2014 is on the rise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Complaints about deed theft to the attorney general\u2019s office more than tripled from 2023 to 2025, according to an analysis<\/a> by CBS News New York. Officials attributed much of that rise to a 2024 law allowing the attorney general\u2019s office to prosecute<\/a> deed theft and a resulting rise in awareness. Council Member Chi Oss\u00e9\u2019s arrest<\/a> last week during a protest in Bed-Stuy over a property dispute also brought more attention to the issue.<\/p>\n So did a subsequent announcement<\/a> by Mayor Zohran Mamdani on April 24 establishing a new office to combat deed theft. \u201cIn the past, city government has too often stood idly by while deed theft occurs,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cWe are bringing that era to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet preventing fraud is better than having recourse once it happens, and understanding how deed theft and other unscrupulous practices work is a first step, since they rely on New Yorkers, especially older homeowners or their heirs, remaining uninformed, advocates say.<\/p>\n \u201cWith our seniors, they\u2019ve been trying to mislead them, as if they are familiar with them, as if they are a family member \u2014 even such things as trying to go after their deed or change the name on their deed,\u201d Jessica Franco, an affordable housing organizer in Cypress Hills and East New York, previously told Epicenter NYC.<\/p>\n Here are ways to protect yourself from deed theft and other, sometimes legal, tactics property speculators use to take rights to your home.<\/p>\n Know what deed theft looks like<\/strong><\/p>\n Deed theft can happen when scammers file fake documents like deeds, mortgages or tax or utility liens<\/a> to claim that they own your home.\u00a0<\/p>\n They may do this by forging signatures<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Or they may trick homeowners into signing documents they don\u2019t fully understand<\/strong>, disguising them as refinancing or repair agreements. If you\u2019re behind on payments, someone might ask you to give them your home on paper to fix your credit.\u00a0<\/p>\n Scammers often prey on people who are anxious about losing their home, according to HomeownerHelpNY<\/a>. They may tell you signing a document will save your home from foreclosure. They may offer you quick cash and promise your property transfer is temporary and that you\u2019ll be able to buy your home back later. They may pressure you by saying it\u2019s a time-sensitive offer or discourage you from seeking your own lawyer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Other times, scammers work around the homeowner to take action directly. In those cases, these red flags might pop up:\u00a0<\/p>\n Sometimes neighbors can help fend off such scams. \u201cIf somebody is on your block taking pictures of homes or trying to talk to or coerce one of our neighbors, I need you to step up,\u201d Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman said at the City Hall press conference. While it\u2019s legal to take photos in public spaces, you can still say something.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since deed thieves may target a property that looks abandoned, take care of any property you own even if you\u2019re living elsewhere. Or ask someone else to look after it.<\/p>\n If you stop receiving your property tax and water bills or if your utility bills suddenly soar, visit the Department of Finance site<\/a> or call\u202f311, according to the attorney general\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n Be cautious of offers and paperwork involving your home<\/strong><\/p>\n At the press conference, Peter White, the new director for the Office of Deed Theft Prevention, painted this picture of a common deceptive practice: a grandmother who suddenly receives an eviction notice after having bought her home 40 years ago and paid off the mortgage a decade ago. She realizes the alleged landlord listed is the local handyman that did repairs on her home at a discounted rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c \u2018I never signed my home over to him,\u2019 she says to herself,\u201d White said. \u201c \u2018But wait \u2014 I did sign a contract with him, but it was so many papers.\u2019 She just didn\u2019t quite know what she was signing. She can\u2019t exactly remember what she signed.\u201d<\/p>\n Since many deed theft cases start with a signature, according to HomeownerHelpNY and the attorney general\u2019s office, you should:<\/p>\n Equip yourself with property information<\/strong><\/p>\n The city recommends<\/a> two key prevention tactics:<\/p>\n The Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS)<\/a> allows you to search property records and make sure no deeds or mortgages have been taken out on your home without your consent. You can view documents for Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn from 1966 on by searching here<\/a>. If you live on Staten Island, search here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can search via the address or the borough, block and lot of the property. You can find the property\u2019s borough, block and lot number at www.nyc.gov\/bbl or on your most recent property tax bill.<\/p>\n Being clear on property ownership, and ensuring your paperwork is secure, makes you less vulnerable to property scams. After all, deed thieves tend to target homes where the owner died a long time ago and their heirs haven\u2019t transferred the property title.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to the attorney general\u2019s office, you should:<\/p>\n The city offers a free tool to alert you to any suspicious activity involving your property. When you sign up for the Notice of Recorded Document Program<\/strong><\/a>,<\/strong> the City Register will mail you a notification when any new document is recorded against your property. This will give you a chance to respond quickly if, for instance, you see an unfamiliar mortgage or deed transaction or something looks off.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also choose to be notified by email or text message. And you can designate someone you trust, such as a family member or legal representative, to receive notifications.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re unable to register online, complete and mail this application<\/a> to the NYC Department of Finance.\u00a0<\/p>\n Know about available resources<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re being evicted in housing court by a scammer, you can ask the judge to pause the eviction proceeding for 90 days<\/strong> to challenge their assertion of property ownership. If needed, get legal help \u2013 but not through a lawyer referred to you by a real estate agent or someone else who might have an interest in your property, the attorney general\u2019s office said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Homeowner Protection Program<\/strong>, which is supported by the attorney general\u2019s office, is a network of housing counselors and lawyers who can provide free counseling and legal assistance throughout New York. If you\u2019re a homeowner and need help, call 855-466-3456<\/strong> or fill out an online form<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a New Yorker and believe you\u2019re a victim of deed theft, call the attorney general\u2019s office<\/strong> at 800-771-7755, email deedtheft@ag.ny.gov<\/a> or file a confidential deed theft complaint form<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Across New York, deed theft \u2014 white-collar criminals using forgery or fraud to take homes away from their…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":770032,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[5229,115209,315732,315733,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,152245,315734,315735,178358,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-770031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-deed-theft","10":"tag-homeowner-protection","11":"tag-housing-fraud-prevention","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-newyork","15":"tag-newyorkcity","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-nyc-housing","19":"tag-property-fraud","20":"tag-real-estate-scams","21":"tag-title-fraud","22":"tag-united-states","23":"tag-united-states-of-america","24":"tag-unitedstates","25":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","26":"tag-us","27":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116509669186760023","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=770031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/770031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/770032"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=770031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=770031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=770031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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