FAQs • Escambia County Clerk, FL • CivicEngage

WHAT IS PROPERTY FRAUD?: Property fraud can occur when someone records a fraudulent document in the Official Records, and unlawfully transfers the ownership of property to someone else. According to the FBI, property fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the United States. This fraudulent activity can often go undetected and can be very difficult to reverse, causing a number of legal issues for the property owner.

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Property Fraud Alert

1. WHAT IS PROPERTY FRAUD?: Property fraud can occur when someone records a fraudulent document in the Official Records, and unlawfully transfers the ownership of property to someone else. According to the FBI, property fraud is one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the United States. This fraudulent activity can often go undetected and can be very difficult to reverse, causing a number of legal issues for the property owner.

To register the name William John Smith, Jr.

Screen shots of fraud alert first name and last name field entries.

WILLIAM JOHN SMITH, JR. AS TRUSTEE

WILLIAM JOHN SMITH, JR. TRUST

Screen shots of fraud alert first name and last name field entries.

THE WILLIAM JOHN AND SUSAN JANE SMITH REVOCABLE TRUST AGREEMENT

Screen shots of fraud alert first name and last name field entries.

WILLIAM JOHN SMITH, JR., ATTORNEY IN FACT

Screen shots of fraud alert first name and last name field entries.

Suffixes, such as Jr., III, etc. go after the name entered first name block.

Titles, such Personal Representative or Attorney in Fact (see abbreviations list) go after any suffixes in the first name block.

Business Names are indexed exactly as they appear on the document (see abbreviations list).

Do not use punctuation.

When “THE” appears at the beginning of a name, do not index as part of the name.

Common abbreviations list:

4. WHY DO FRAUDULENT DOCUMENTS GET RECORDED: The Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller must record all documents that meet the requirements outlined in the Florida Statues.

5. WHAT CAN I DO TO PROTECT MYSELF FROM PROPERTY FRAUD?: Check the Official Records using the Records Search to see what documents are recorded under your name and sign up for Escambia County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's free Recording Notification Service for automated email alerts when your name is added to the Official Records index.

6. HOW DOES THE PROPERTY FRAUD ALERT NOTIFICATION SERVICE WORK?: Click here to register to receive e-mail alerts when documents are recorded that include certain names in the Official Records for Escambia County. This subscription is free of charge to you, and can be modified or cancelled at any time. You only need to provide your first and last name, and an email address. Since there is no way to distinguish between multiple people with the same name, you may receive alerts for documents recorded with the same name, but are not related to your property. You may view the document recorded using our online Official Records Search. It is also recommended that you register ALL POSSIBLE variations of your name, including middle name, middle initial, nick names, suffixes, etc. You will only receive notifications of recordings for the exact name(s) registered. **Please note, this registration will only send alerts for documents recorded in Escambia County, Florida. If you own property in another county or state, you should contact the Recording Office for that county to see if they offer such service.

7. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I RECEIVE AN ALERT?: Act quickly! If you receive an alert that a document has been recorded that matches your monitoring criteria, you will need to view the actual document on our Online Official Records Search web page to confirm whether or not this document is for your property. If you suspect that you are a victim of fraud, contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or Pensacola Police Department immediately. You may consider seeking legal advice from an attorney for additional guidance.

8. IF A DOCUMENT IS PROVEN FRAUDULENT, CAN IT BE REMOVED FROM THE OFFICIAL RECORDS?: No document can be removed from the Official Records without a court order. Therefore, citizens are urged to contact local law enforcement and/or an attorney for prompt, appropriate action of fraud is suspected.

9. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I MAY BE THE VICTIM OF PROPERTY FRAUD?: Contact the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office or Pensacola Police Department, and/or your attorney or legal advisor. Neither the Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller, Property Appraiser, or Tax Collector offices can take legal action on your behalf to reverse the fraudulent activity.

10. CAN I UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS SERVICE?: Yes. To unsubscribe from this service please visit the Recording Activity Notification Registration site and click on “Receive Email to Edit Recording Activity Notification.”

11. IS THE RECORDING NOTIFICATION SERVICE SUBJECT TO PUBLIC RECORDS LAW?: Yes. Florida has a very broad public records law. Email addresses and names used in registrations for the Recording Notification Service are subject to public disclosure per Florida law.

12. WILL I BE NOTIFIED EVEN IF THE NAME MATCH IS NOT EXACT?: No. You will only receive notifications of recordings for the exact name(s) registered.

13. CAN I EDIT THE NAMES BEING MONITORED?: Yes. To edit the names you are monitoring, you must first unsubscribe from the Recording Notification Service by selecting the “Unsubscribe” link on the Recording Notification Service page. You may then re-subscribe with the new list of names.

14. IS THERE A CHARGE FOR THE PROPERTY NOTIFICATION SERVICE?: No. The property Notification Service is offered free of charge.

15. Disclaimer of Property Fraud Alert Service: The Clerk shall not be liable for any loss, cost, damage, or expense arising directly or indirectly in connection with this service. In no event shall the Clerk be liable for any damages from the use, receipt, or application of the information accessed from this free service. This free service does not protect against fraud. The Property Notification Service simply provides notifications about instruments recorded in the Official Records. The Clerk may terminate this service, or any individual subscription, at any time without notification. No duty of care is created or owed to individual persons from the operation of this service.