North Branford 'Fights Back Against Property Fraud' With New System

NORTH BRANFORD, CT – The town has implemented Cott Systems’ PropertyCheck in an "invigorated effort to combat property and mortgage fraud," Town Manager Michael Downes said.

The Town Council approved the implementation of the PropertyCheck System last October at the recommendation of Town Clerk Lisa Valenti and Downes, it's noted.

As explained by Downes, property fraud is when someone forges an identity, transfers a property into their name, and records the document.

"This fraudulent activity can make it appear as if that person owns your home orp roperty before the victim is aware anything has happened,"Downes said. "Such criminal activity is becoming more prevalent today as cyber criminals exploit every avenue they can to cause harm and steal from everyday citizens."

The around-the-clock service allows residents to sign up on the Cott Systems’ RECORDhub through the town's website to receive notifications when official documents are recorded in their name. Residents can activate alerts based on the spelling of their name. There is no cost to participate.

“The Town is pleased to offer this additional tool at no cost to the residents as a means to protect their property from unethical practices,” Mayor Rose Angeloni said.

PropertyCheck works seamlessly in the background of the Town’s land records management RECORDhub software, automatically alerting if a document with matching name is recorded. All residents have to do is opt-in by creating a RECORDhub account, create alerts for their name and choose a preference for alerts — email or text message.

“It’s also a good idea to set up multiple alerts based on first, middle and last name variations and your spouse’s name," Cott Systems' Product Implementation Specialist Paul Fetters advised, "To be sure that an alert will be triggered in case a recording happens with some kind of slight variation."

Town Councilor Thomas Zampano said he hopes folks sign up.

“This is an important resource to our residents to help protect their property interests, and I hope they will take advantage of it as an added line of defense against fraudulent activity,” he said.

To sign up for alerts residents should go to the town website, northbranfordct.gov, and navigate to the Town Clerk’s page. Under “List of Services” click on PropertyCheck click “sign up” and follow the prompts. PropertyCheck can also be found through the “Online Services” link on the front page.