What is Property Fraud Alert?
Property Fraud Alert is a free warning service that county recorders and clerks offer. You give it your name, and it tells you when a document with that name is recorded in the county's land records.
The name comes from a service that Fidlar Technologies sells to counties. The counties offer it free, and subscribers are told "any time there is recording activity associated with their name" by phone or email (Fidlar). Counties that use it send you to a shared sign-up site, propertyfraudalert.com. Many list the same help line, 1-800-728-3858.
Other counties built their own. Maricopa County, Arizona calls its version Title Alert. Harris County, Texas calls its version the Property Alert System. You may also see "home title alert" or "recording notification." They all do the same job: watch the records and tell you when something new appears.
Is Property Fraud Alert legit?
Yes. The real Property Fraud Alert is an official county service, and it's free. Seminole County, Florida calls its alert "an online subscription service FREE to the public."
To be safe, sign up only through your county recorder's or clerk's own website, or through a link on that site.
Which counties offer a property fraud alert?
Many counties offer one, and three states now require them. There's no national list, so check your county's website or our map of free alerts by county.
| State | What the law requires | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | Every county clerk must run a free alert, sent within 24 hours of a recording | July 1, 2024 |
| Illinois | "Every county shall establish and maintain a property fraud alert system" | Jan. 1, 2026 |
| California | Every county must mail a notice within 30 days when a deed or mortgage is recorded (Los Angeles County already does) | Jan. 1, 2027 |
Sources: Florida Statutes s. 28.47; 55 ILCS 5/3-5010.10; California SB 255.
Everywhere else, it's up to each county. Some big counties came late. Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, was still preparing its alert in August 2026 (ABC13). Cook County, Illinois has a free alert you sign up for with your property number.
How do you register for Property Fraud Alert?
Registration takes a few minutes online. Lee County, Florida's clerk says it "takes less than two minutes and can even be done on your phone."
- Find your county's official page. Search "[your county] property fraud alert" and open the recorder's or clerk's own website. If your county uses propertyfraudalert.com, its page links there.
- Enter every version of your name. Palm Beach County, Florida warns: "You will only receive an alert for an exact match." Add your name with and without a middle name or initial, like "Mary Smith" and "Mary E Smith."
- Add your trust or company. If a trust or LLC owns your home, register that name too. Palm Beach asks you to enter a trust as a business name that ends in "trust."
- Add your parcel number if you can. Some counties, like Palm Beach and Miami-Dade, can also watch your parcel or folio number, so a misspelled name doesn't slip past.
- Choose email, text or phone, then confirm. Click the link in the confirmation email if one arrives. Check your spam folder if it doesn't.
- Repeat in every county where you own property. Each county's alert watches only its own records.
Lee County, Florida owners signed up for the free alert, in a county with about 550,000 parcels of land
Source: Lee County Clerk Kevin Karnes, Island Reporter, September 8, 2025
What does a property fraud alert email look like?
The alert is a short, plain email that names the document and tells you how to look it up. In Lee County, Florida, it comes from "Lee Clerk Official Records" with the subject "Clerk Recording Activity Notification."
Subject: Recording activity notification
A document was recorded that matches a name you monitor.
- Name matched
- MARY E SMITH
- Recorded on
- October 9, 2026
- Instrument number
- 2026012345
- Questions
- Call the Recording Department
Search the county's official records with the instrument number to see the document.
Florida's law spells out what every alert there must include: the name or parcel that matched, the recording date, the book and page or instrument number, and a phone number for the clerk's office (s. 28.47).
What should you do if you get an alert?
Check it calmly. Many alerts are for paperwork you expected, like a refinance, or for someone with the same name.
- Look it up. Search the county's online records with the number in the alert.
- Call the recorder or clerk. If you don't recognize the document, ask for a copy.
- Report it to local police. Then call a real estate attorney. The sooner you act, the easier a fake deed is to undo.
Our guide on what to do if a fraudulent deed is filed on your home covers every step.
What does a property fraud alert miss?
It tells you after a document is recorded. It can't stop one. Miami-Dade's clerk puts it plainly: "While it cannot prevent a fraudulent deed from being filed, it can allow you to respond quickly to address any problems." Cook County's clerk calls its alert "a notice of recordation, not a freeze on title."
Most free alerts arrive after the deed is on record
When each free warning reaches the owner
- Before closingArizona's state Early Alert, if an escrow officer enters a pending sale of your home
- Day 0The deed is recorded
- Within 24 hoursEvery Florida county, by state law
- Within 48 hoursLos Angeles County's email alert
- 1–2 business daysHarris County, Texas
- Within 30 daysMailed notices in every California county, starting in 2027
Sources: Arizona Department of Real Estate via KJZZ (2026); Florida s. 28.47; LA County DCBA (2023); Harris County Clerk; California SB 255 (2025).
Other gaps to know:
- Counties must record a proper-looking deed. Seminole County's clerk says it "has no legal authority to refuse a properly prepared document."
- Name changes slip through. Alerts match the exact names you entered, unless your county also watches parcel numbers.
- Same-name alerts happen. Someone with your name can trigger an alert that isn't about your home.
- It only watches new filings in one county. Check your current deed once by hand when you sign up. Here's how to find the deed to your house.
- Some scams never touch the records. A criminal can list your land for sale before any deed is filed. In 2026, 59% of title companies said someone had tried to sell a property while posing as the owner (ALTA, via HousingWire).
What do paid options add?
Paid title monitoring works much like the free alert, for a fee. A California Senate committee described these services as monitoring "the owner's title for a fee" and alerting the owner when documents are recorded. The FTC says "title lock" services are "not a lock at all."
"At the point of the notification, the fraud has already occurred."
So start with the free county alert. Then decide whether you want something that works before a sale or loan, not after.
| Free county alert | Paid title monitoring | Still My Home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Monthly or yearly fee | $199 a year per home |
| When it helps | After a document is recorded | After a document is recorded | Before: a notice on your title asks buyers and lenders to confirm it's you |
| Pays to restore your title | No | Varies by plan | Up to $1,000,000 |
Check every competitor fact at its source before publishing. Our column is styled the same as the others.
Frequently asked questions
Does Property Fraud Alert cost anything?
The county programs we checked are free. Illinois law says a county's sign-up form must list any cost, so read the form before you sign up. Never pay a private company for a county's alert.
Do I need to sign up in every county where I own property?
Yes. Each county's alert watches only its own land records. If you own a home in one county and land in another, sign up in both.
Can I sign up for my parents?
In many counties, yes. You can add their names to your sign-up. Florida law lets each email address watch at least five names or parcels.
Why did I get an alert for a document that isn't mine?
Alerts match names, so someone with the same name can trigger one. Look the document up. If the address or parcel isn't yours, you can ignore it.
Will a property fraud alert stop someone from stealing my house?
No. It tells you after a document is recorded. That early warning matters, because the sooner you act, the easier a fake deed is to undo.
Is my sign-up information public?
In Florida, no. State law makes the names, emails and parcel numbers you sign up with confidential. Other states have their own rules, so ask your county.
Sign up for your county's free alert
It takes a few minutes. Then see whether a notice on your title makes sense for your home.
Find your countySee how Still My Home worksSources
- Property Fraud Alert, Fidlar Technologies, undated (checked October 12, 2026)
- Property Fraud Alert (sign-up line 800-728-3858), Hillsborough County Clerk of Court & Comptroller, undated
- Maricopa Title Alert, Maricopa County Recorder's Office, checked October 12, 2026
- Property Deed Fraud and Property Alert System, Harris County Clerk's Office, checked October 12, 2026
- Harris County to launch new tool to protect property owners from deed fraud, ABC13 Houston, August 26, 2026
- Property Fraud Alerts, Seminole County Clerk, undated
- St. Johns County Clerk of Courts warns against deceptive mailer charging for official records, St. Johns County Clerk of Courts, November 23, 2022
- Section 28.47, Florida Statutes: Recording notification service, The Florida Senate, 2025
- 55 ILCS 5/3-5010.10: Property fraud alert system, Illinois General Assembly, in force January 1, 2026
- SB 255 (Seyarto), Chapter 351, Statutes of 2025, California Legislature, signed October 6, 2025
- Guest commentary: Protect your property with free fraud alert service, Kevin Karnes, Lee County Clerk, Island Reporter, September 8, 2025
- Property Fraud Alert, Palm Beach County Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, undated
- Property Fraud, Miami-Dade Clerk of the Court and Comptroller, undated
- Property Fraud Alert, Lee County Clerk of Court & Comptroller, undated
- Property Fraud Unit, Cook County Clerk's Office, checked October 12, 2026
- Free program can help protect Arizona homeowners against deed fraud, KJZZ, August 28, 2026
- DCBA, LA County Assessor, Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk launch property owner e-notification alert, LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs, January 11, 2023
- Seller impersonation fraud more than doubled since 2024, HousingWire, September 2026 (ALTA 2026 Critical Issues Study)
- 'Be aware': Identity thief uses fraudulent deed to take Orange County man's property, WKMG News 6, May 16, 2022
- Thousands sign up for free property fraud alerts after News 6 investigation, WKMG News 6, May 23, 2022
- Analysis of SB 255 (Seyarto), California Senate Judiciary Committee, hearing April 22, 2025
- Home title lock insurance? Not a lock at all, FTC, August 26, 2024