Quick Answer: Deed fraud happens when someone forges an owner's signature and records a fake deed, so that on paper the property belongs to them. Rental homes are a common target because the owner doesn't live there, and owners who are out of state or overseas are the easiest targets of all. Virginia offers a free service called VADeed Alert that emails you when a document is recorded against your name or parcel. It doesn't stop a filing. It tells you fast, and fast is what matters.
Most scam warnings are easy to ignore. This one isn't, especially if you own a house you don't live in.
The FBI has said that between 2019 and 2023, more than 58,000 people reported being victims of real estate fraud, with losses of more than $1 billion. Deed fraud is one piece of that, and it's the piece that worries us most for our owners.
How does deed fraud work?
It's simpler than you'd think.
Someone forges your signature on a deed. They get it notarized, sometimes with a fake notary stamp. They record it with the circuit court clerk's office in the county or city where the property sits. And now the public land records say your house belongs to somebody else.
From there, they have options. They can list the house for sale. They can borrow against it. They can even pose as the owner and rent it out, collect a deposit and first month's rent from a real family, and disappear.
The clerk's office isn't at fault here. Its job is to record documents that meet the filing requirements. It isn't set up to check whether every signature is real.
Why are rental homes a favorite target?
Because nobody who owns the house is watching it.
If you live in your home, you'd notice a stranger's sign in the yard or mail addressed to a new owner. If your home is rented, the tenant may not think twice about either. And if you're posted to an embassy eight time zones away, you may not hear about it for months.
Vacant homes are an even easier mark, and so are homes with no mortgage, because there's no lender in the picture who'd catch the problem.
That describes a lot of the people we work for. Military families. Foreign Service officers. Owners who moved to another state and kept the house. So we tell every one of them the same thing.
What is VADeed Alert?
It's a free notification service developed by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia, and offered through circuit court clerks' offices around the state. Alexandria's clerk rolled it out in March, and other clerks' offices have joined since.
Here's how it works. You register the names and the parcel ID numbers you want watched. When a document is recorded in the land records that matches one of them, you get an email.
You can add more than one version of your name, which you should. If your deed says "Robert J. Smith" and you sign things "Bob Smith," register both.
What doesn't it do?
It doesn't block anything. A fraudulent deed can still be recorded. The service doesn't judge whether a filing is legitimate, either.
What it gives you is time. If you find a fake deed in the first few days, you can call the clerk's office and your attorney before the house is sold or borrowed against. If you find it eight months later, after money has changed hands, you're looking at a lawsuit.
How do you sign up?
It takes a few minutes.
- Go to risweb.vacourts.gov/VADeedAlert and create an account
- Choose the circuit court for the city or county where the property is located
- Add your name exactly as it appears on the deed, plus any common variations
- Add the parcel ID, which you'll find on your real estate tax bill or the county's online tax records
- Repeat for every property you own, including the home you live in
If the property is held in an LLC or a trust, register that name too. And check whether your locality's clerk is participating. If it isn't yet, ask the clerk's office what they offer in its place.
What should you do if you get an alert?
Most alerts will be ones you expect. You refinanced, or you recorded a deed of trust, or a release was filed when you paid off a loan.
If you get one you don't recognize:
- Look up the document in the land records, or call the clerk's office and ask what was recorded
- Call a real estate attorney the same day
- Call your title insurance company if you have an owner's policy
- Report it to local police and to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center
- Tell your property manager, so someone can go look at the house
Don't wait to see what happens. With this kind of fraud, the first week is when it's easiest to undo.
What else protects a rental home?
The alert is the main thing. A few habits help too.
Have someone look at the property. A sign in the yard that you didn't put there, or a lockbox you don't recognize, is a warning. Regular drive-bys and inspections catch things an owner far away can't.
Keep your mailing address current with the county tax office, so tax bills and notices reach you wherever you are.
Tell your tenant who's allowed to show the home. A good tenant will call if a stranger turns up claiming to be the new owner or an agent.
Search your own address online now and then. Fake rental and sale listings are often built from real listing photos. If your house shows up somewhere you didn't put it, report it to the site.
Is paid title monitoring worth it?
You'll see ads for services that charge a monthly fee to watch your title. Read what they actually do. Many of them offer the same kind of alert you can now get free in Virginia.
Before you pay for one, sign up for VADeed Alert. Then ask your attorney whether anything more makes sense for you.
If you own a rental and aren't sure how your name appears on the deed or what your parcel ID is, send us a note. We can point you to the tax record so you can sign up today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is deed fraud?
Deed fraud is when someone forges a property owner's signature on a deed and records it in the land records, so the property appears to belong to them. They may then try to sell it, borrow against it, or rent it out.
Is VADeed Alert free?
Yes. It's a free service developed by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia and offered through participating circuit court clerks' offices. You register names and parcel IDs and get an email when a matching document is recorded.
Does VADeed Alert stop a fraudulent deed from being recorded?
No. It notifies you after a document is recorded. It doesn't block filings or decide whether they're legitimate. Its value is early warning, which gives you time to contact the clerk and an attorney.
Why are rental properties targeted for deed fraud?
Because the owner doesn't live there and often isn't watching the mail or the land records. Vacant homes, homes without a mortgage, and homes owned by people out of state or overseas are the most exposed.
What should I do if someone records a fake deed on my property?
Act the same day. Contact a real estate attorney, the circuit court clerk's office, your title insurance company if you have an owner's policy, local police, and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
