Title theft. We've all heard the commercials about the guy who steals your house

Takes out a loan, using the house as collateral.

Something similar happened in Newark about 5 years ago.

Anyways --

Morris county is taking preventive measures. My uncle went to a presentation at the senior citizens club. As I understand it, you fill out a form and it includes a code. The form is placed in the book, on top of the copies of your deed and mortgage documents. 

If someone attempts to supersede the deed, county clerk calls and asks if you sold the house and what the secret magical mystery number is. 

-- no number? The deed doesn't get recorded.

Sounds like a great idea-so long as it’s manually worked.  Some pol will want to computerize it to save 17 cents a year, then it will be hacked.

Apollo_T said:

Sounds like a great idea-so long as it’s manually worked.  Some pol will want to computerize it to save 17 cents a year, then it will be hacked.

True dat. But deeds and liens have to be manually placed into the books. This should be required, statewide.

Especially with AI advancing, seems like we are going to be in an ever growing war against tech-driven crime.  Scary.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Takes out a loan, using the house as collateral.

Something similar happened in Newark about 5 years ago.

Anyways --

Morris county is taking preventive measures. My uncle went to a presentation at the senior citizens club. As I understand it, you fill out a form and it includes a code. The form is placed in the book, on top of the copies of your deed and mortgage documents. 

If someone attempts to supersede the deed, county clerk calls and asks if you sold the house and what the secret magical mystery number is. 

-- no number? The deed doesn't get recorded.

What if you are actually buying the house, but the owner/seller loses the code? Sounds like a bureaucratic mess, plus another fee for some hungry government entity.

Formerlyjerseyjack said:

Takes out a loan, using the house as collateral.

Something similar happened in Newark about 5 years ago.

Anyways --

Morris county is taking preventive measures. My uncle went to a presentation at the senior citizens club. As I understand it, you fill out a form and it includes a code. The form is placed in the book, on top of the copies of your deed and mortgage documents. 

If someone attempts to supersede the deed, county clerk calls and asks if you sold the house and what the secret magical mystery number is. 

-- no number? The deed doesn't get recorded.

Isn’t “the book” a matter of public record? I know that in Union County, title searchers and genealogists and others gain access to those records all the time. Wouldn’t they, too, then have access to this code?

This case has just resolved here, where I live:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-29/qld-gold-coast-couple-awarded-compensation-mortagee-fraud/102279932

Terrifying in many ways, and not necessarily dishonest, just incomplete searches and incompetent Powers of Attorney being exercised in the first place. However the sums of money involved take one’s breath away. 

I will learn more about how this is supposed to operate when I meet with my uncle. Prior to covid, anyone could walk into the Hall of Records and have access to the books. 

I wonder if anyone could buy sets of deed templates, fake or forge a notary approval on the paper. You don't have to have a formal seal in order to notarize documents. Then the criminal could pay the fee at the desk and have the fraudulent deed placed in the books.