7 Ways to Prevent Home Title Theft Instantly
Home title theft, also known as deed fraud, is a crime where a thief forges their way onto your property’s title, giving them the ability to sell your home or take out loans against it. Preventing this crime requires a proactive approach to both your personal data security and your property records. Here are seven effective ways you can start preventing title theft today.
1. Enroll in a Home Title Monitoring Service
This is the most direct and effective defense. A title monitoring service acts as a 24/7 alarm system for your home’s ownership. It continuously scans public property records and sends you an instant alert if a new deed or lien is filed, allowing you to stop fraud in its tracks.
2. Freeze Your Credit
A credit freeze is a free and powerful tool that restricts access to your credit reports. This makes it very difficult for a thief to open a fraudulent mortgage or HELOC against your property, as lenders won’t be able to check your credit. You can do this by contacting each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion).
3. Use a Password Manager and Two-Factor Authentication
Title theft often begins with general identity theft. Protect your online accounts—especially email and financial accounts—by using strong, unique passwords for every site. A password manager makes this easy. Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever possible for an extra layer of security.
4. Shred All Sensitive Mail
Don’t just toss pre-approved credit offers, bank statements, or tax documents in the trash. Thieves can use this information to steal your identity. Use a cross-cut shredder to destroy all documents containing sensitive personal information.
5. Secure Your Original Documents
Your original deed, Social Security card, and passport are treasure troves for identity thieves. Store these critical documents in a secure location like a locked, fireproof safe or a bank’s safe deposit box, not in an unlocked desk drawer.
6. Check Your Property Records Online
Periodically conduct a quick search for your name and address on your county recorder’s online property records portal. This manual check can help you spot any unauthorized filings, though it is not a substitute for active monitoring.
7. Pay Attention to Your Bills
If your property tax or water bills suddenly stop arriving, investigate immediately. Thieves may have changed the mailing address associated with your property to hide their activities from you.
Why HomeLock is the Best Choice for Title Theft Prevention
While all of these steps are smart security practices, HomeLock provides the most crucial and direct layers of defense in one integrated platform.
Our Home Title Monitoring service is the 24/7 active protection that serves as your first line of defense. Our secure digital vault is the perfect solution for securing your documents, providing a protected and accessible digital copy of your deed and other vital records. By combining the most powerful preventative tools, HomeLock offers a comprehensive and convenient solution to keep your home’s title safe.
HomeLock™ is the one Property Fraud Protection service that CAN notify you before, during, and immediately after fraud occurs. If more homeowners had HomeLock™, we wouldn’t see so many scammers like this husband and wife who have defrauded dozens of homeowners!
See how DomiDocs and HomeLock™ can protect your home in this Press Release! This layered approach protects both your legal ownership and your financial identity. For more information, read our article on how HomeLock™ can protect you from Title and Deed Fraud.