County Clerk Alerts Broome Residents To Home Title Theft Threat

On October 6, 2026, the Broome County Clerk's Office released information, warning Broome County residents of rising deed fraud concerns.

County Clerk Aaron Martin, local attorneys including Broome County District Attorney Paul Battisti, and representatives from the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS ®, joined in the announcement.

According to the announcement, Deed fraud, which is also referred to as home title theft, occurs when a person records a fake or forged deed with the clerk's office, making it appear in public records as though they now own your property.

Forgery And Fraudulent Inducement

Forgery: When a criminal fakes the property owner’s signature and files the deed
Fraudulent Inducement: When the property owner is tricked into signing something they don’t understand, believing it’s for help or refinancing.

According to the Broome County Clerk's Office, criminals typically choose properties where the owner is less likely to notice changes quickly. That includes vacant or absentee-owned homes/properties, homes without mortgages, inherited properties with outdated title records, and elderly homeowners.

Property owners have become increasingly concerned about home title theft. It’s important to educate the community about the risks and share important information about how to prevent being a victim of these frauds. - Broome County Clerk Aaron Martin

County Clerk Martin noted that the fraud begins before the deed is delivered for filing at the County Clerk’s Office, typically through the real estate transaction. The Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS ® has created and disbursed to its members a best practices document to help prevent the fraud before it begins.

Fraud Alert System

The Broome County Clerk's Office and partners encourage residents and property owners to enroll in the free Fraud Alert system and to check on their properties routinely in an effort to prevent becoming a victim of deed fraud. For details, visit the Fraud Alert webpage.

Fraud prevention begins long before a deed reaches the County Clerk’s Office. Real estate professionals are uniquely positioned to help increase awareness of warning signs before a fraudulent real estate transaction reaches closing. Through the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS ®, we share information with our members to help them recognize, pause, verify, preserve, and report. By working together with attorneys, government, and law enforcement, we are working towards strengthening the integrity of real estate transactions throughout our community. - Christina Schaefer, President-Elect of the Greater Binghamton Association of REALTORS ®.

 

For more information, visit the Broome County Clerk website.