🏠 Protecting Your Property from Deed Fraud: A Hidden Threat Every Owner Should Understand

Property deed fraud is one of the fastest-growing and most under-reported forms of real estate theft—and it can happen without you ever receiving a phone call, email, or letter. In just a few clicks, a bad actor can file a forged deed with your county’s Register of Deeds and claim ownership of your property. It's often months before owners find out—sometimes not until they try to sell, refinance, or pay taxes on a home they no longer legally own. This article first briefly discusses the recent deed fraud case that just happened in North Carolina costing the homeowner time and legal fees. Next, it covers some tricks to monitor your deed, prevent title theft, and at the same time remove your personal data from all public records.

What Is Property Deed Fraud?

Deed fraud—also called title theft—occurs when someone creates and files fake ownership documents for real estate that isn’t theirs. They might impersonate the homeowner, use a fake identity, or exploit administrative oversights in county offices that are required by law to file legally formatted documents without verifying legitimacy.

These criminals often:

• Target vacant homes, rental properties, or homes owned by the elderly.

• Forge signatures and use notary stamps illegally.

• File forged deeds that appear legitimate until challenged in court.

This kind of fraud can take months and thousands of dollars to undo, even when the property is eventually returned to its rightful owner.

Recent Example in the News of Deed Fraud

📌 What Happened

• August 2024: Dawn Mangum filed a fraudulent warranty deed claiming ownership of a $4 million home in North Raleigh belonging to Dr. Craig Adams, a Wake County dentist. She allegedly thought the property was in foreclosure and “abandoned,” and filed the deed under her name and “Dawn Mangum Trust”.

• Adams only discovered the transfer when his homeowners association received an access request from Mangum

🏛️ Legal Response

• Criminal Charges: In September 2024, Mangum was arrested and charged with felony “attempting to obtain property by false pretense.” Prosecutors added forgery of deeds in early 2025. She pleaded not guilty

• Ongoing Proceedings: By February 13, 2025, a judge ordered Mangum to undergo a forensic evaluation before the case could proceed. Her next court appearance was expected by March 3, 2025

⚖️ Civil Case & Court Rulings

• Dr. Adams filed a civil suit to void the fraudulent deed. In January 2025, the court officially declared the deed fraudulent, restored ownership to Adams, and ordered Mangum to pay his attorney’s fees. She was also restricted from filing further documents without legal approval

🏛️ Systemic Issues & Reform Efforts

• Clerks’ Limitations: The Wake County Register of Deeds emphasized that staff must record all legally formatted documents and cannot verify signers or check for fraud beyond obvious red flags

• Fraud Alerts Introduced: Wake County rolled out a property-fraud alert system in April 2025: owners receive notifications whenever any document is filed against their property

• Legislative Action: Multiple bills are being debated in the NC legislature to address deed fraud. Notably, Senate Bill 423 would require photo ID for deed filings, allow expedited removal of fraudulent documents, enable recovery of attorney fees, and impose civil penalties up to $10,000

🎥 Watch Highlights

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What You Can Do

1. Sign Up for County Deed Monitoring Alerts

Most counties now offer free Property Fraud Alert Systems that notify you whenever a document is recorded under your name or your property address.

How it Works:

• You enter your name (and/or property parcel ID) into a monitoring service.

• When someone files a deed, mortgage, lien, or other document tied to your property, you get an email or text alert.

• You can investigate or dispute the filing immediately—before the fraud escalates.

How to Sign Up:

Go to your county Register of Deeds website and search for “property fraud alert” or “document monitoring.” If your county doesn't offer it, reach out and request that they implement it. In the meantime, consider setting quarterly calendar reminders to manually check.

2. Do a 5-Minute Online Check Every 3 Months

Even with alerts in place, it’s smart to manually verify the status of your property every 90 days. Most counties now offer free online search tools for public records.

Here’s how to check:

1. Visit your county's Register of Deeds or County Clerk website (Or Tax Records).

2. Locate the “Real Property Search” or “Document Search” section.

3. Search by your name, parcel number, or property address.

4. Look for any recent deeds, transfers, liens, or powers of attorney.

5. Verify that nothing has changed without your consent.

This takes about 5 minutes and helps you stay one step ahead of fraud.

3. Reduce Your Risk with Alias Names and Privacy Planning

As a privacy professional, I work with clients to create alias identities and privacy-focused strategies that make it much harder for fraudsters to target you in the first place.

Here’s how I help:

• Alias Trusts & LLCs: We title your property under a generic-sounding trust or LLC name that doesn’t identify you directly.

• Redundant Monitoring: We set up fraud alerts under multiple variations (separate from county alerts) of your name to catch attempts even when minor misspellings or alternate spellings are used.

• Privacy Training: I teach you how to keep your ownership records private, avoid sharing PII unnecessarily, and recognize social engineering red flags. For in-person clients, I take care of this together with you and on your behalf, and can accomplish full alias name, phone, address, and bank account in 24 to 72 hours.

• Paper-Only Systems: I work 100% offline—no digital records are kept on my end—ensuring the security of your personal and asset information.

Protect Your Property Before You Become a Target

Too many victims of deed fraud say the same thing: “I had no idea this could happen to me.” Unfortunately, once a fraudulent deed is filed, the burden is often on you to prove you still own your home. The costs, stress, and time involved can be devastating.

Don't wait for that moment.

Start by:

• Signing up for alerts.

• Checking your records every 3 months.

• Taking proactive privacy measures to keep your ownership low-profile.

If you want to go further, I offer personalized, in-person or remote training for individuals, families, realtors, title agents, and professionals. We can walk through your situation and create a layered defense against fraud, identity theft, and unwanted exposure.

Ready to Get Protected?

Contact me to schedule a training or privacy consultation. Whether you're a homeowner, landlord, professional, or family office, there are smart, legal, and simple steps we can take together to help secure your property from fraudsters.