By Mark Cowling | Pinal Central
FLORENCE — Pinal County property owners may be the first in the United States to protect their property with a personal identification number against a thief attempting to transfer title.
Home title fraud combines two common scams — identity theft and mortgage fraud. The criminal steals the home and either sells it or borrows against it without the rightful owner ever knowing.
Pinal County Assessor Douglas Wolf said it’s attempted a few times every month. The victims are usually older people who have paid off their home. The thief begins filing documents against the house with the help of an unscrupulous notary, “they skedaddle and the homeowner is left holding the bag,” Wolf said.
