Texting was already available, but now a translation service is offered
The Dover Police Department is one of the first in the U.S. to use the enhanced 911 service for sharing of photos and videos, and text translation.
A real estate agent impersonates a seller and pockets $3 million from fraudulent property sales. A Los Angeles homeowner loses their house to an international identity theft ring. In Florida, during a scheduled video call with the seller, a title company is met with an AI-generated fake.
These stories may sound sensational, but the crimes are real. Cybercriminals are now using artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to forge deeds and steal real property.
Now, this new wave of property crime is taking root in Delaware.
To help combat the threat, each county’s recorder of deeds has launched free monitoring services to alert residents to activity involving their property.
How the real estate scams work
Property theft schemes often unfold when fraudsters assume a homeowner’s identity, forge documents and list a property for sale on legitimate platforms like Zillow and Realtor.com. The transactions are often cash-only and conducted entirely online, leaving few opportunities to catch the fraud before it’s too late.
“There is no way to prevent this crime from happening,” Kent County Recorder of Deeds Eugenia Thornton said.
In a “Race to Record” state like Delaware, documents must be processed quickly, and recorders are required to check only formatting, required forms and fees – not the authenticity of the content. Using AI-technology, swindlers can file forged documents that are nearly indistinguishable from legitimate records with one of Delaware’s recorder of deeds.
The state’s approval of remote and online notary services in 2023 has also made the system even more vulnerable, Thornton said.
And while Delaware law requires a licensed attorney for most real estate transactions involving collateral, scammers are exploiting a loophole through quitclaim deeds. These legal documents allow property to be transferred without an attorney, so long as the paperwork is notarized.
By the time fraud is detected, victims may be left facing a lengthy and expensive legal battle to reclaim their property.
Thornton has been calling attention to the problem. Her office maintains a webpage dedicated to so-called “house-stealing” crimes, sharing articles and news reports about property fraud around the country to raise awareness.
According to her newsletter, the Kent County Realtors Association reported four fraudulent property listings in Dover in May 2023. Over the next year, Delaware State Police Troop 3 investigated similar scams in Lebanon, Felton and Harrington.
County-level solutions
All three counties in Delaware have launched free property monitoring services to notify residents when a document is filed under their name.
New Castle County Recorder of Deeds Michael E. Kozikowski said the county’s AlertMe system provides an extra layer of protection alongside existing fraud prevention measures.
Whether it’s a homeowners association filing against a resident or an elderly homeowner being coerced into a sale, the systems’ real-time notifications could be the difference between a timely intervention and a costly, potentially devastating loss.
These services can be particularly useful if:
- A loan is taken out using the property as collateral.
- A lien is placed on a property.
- A co-owner files documents without consent.
Anyone who suspects property fraud is urged to contact the Delaware Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at (302) 577-8600 or email attorney.general@delaware.gov.
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