New Hampshire’s Attorney General is warning real estate owners of quit claim deed fraud. Quit claim deed fraud is when scammers forge documents to facilitate a fraudulent transfer of property outside of a traditional sale – without the owner’s knowledge. Then the scammer will try to record the forged documentation with the register of deeds in the county where the property is located. If the scammer is successful, they can sell the property, take out a mortgage and/or rent the property for profit.
Scammers tend to target vacant lots, property without liens and property owned by people living out of state. But in order to do this, scammers need data about the real homeowner and property such as names, description, parcel numbers and loan status.
To learn how real estate owners can minimize their risk, visit doj.nh.gov.
If you are a Merrimack customer and are concerned your personal or financial information was compromised, please call us directly at 603.225.2793.