Fraud Guard Protection In Place at Register of Deeds

Craig Olive, Johnston County Register of Deeds, responded to a recent fraudulent deed filed in a nearby county earlier this month.  A homeowner found that his home had been subjected to a complete stranger filing a deed at the county’s Register of Deeds office despite the stranger not owning the home.  The news story made national headlines and Mr. Olive wants to ensure that Johnston County residents are aware of the fraud alert system that his office has provided since 2013.

Unfortunately, deeds such as this are being filed in counties throughout the United States.  The Johnston County Register of Deeds office has been proactive in the fight of such criminal activity for over a decade.  In 2013, Olive implemented a Fraud Guard protective feature within its recording software that allows citizens to be proactive in the fight against Identity Theft.  This is a free service for the property owners of Johnston County.  Once a property owner has registered for this service, they will be notified by an email alert if there is any real estate transaction with their name.  The link to register for this free protection is www.johnstonnc.com/fraudguard.

Olive stated, “I would like for the NC General Assembly to enact tougher laws and penalties for those who record fraudulent documents and make the process easier for the homeowner to retain ownership”.  Mr. Olive encourages his constituents to take the time to register for this protection.  “With fraud cases on the rise, I want to provide this free service to help our citizens stay informed and take the necessary steps to protect their property.” states Olive.

“My staff and I consider it an honor to serve in any way that we can and to provide this service to the citizens of our great county.” states Olive.  Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact the Johnston County Register of Deeds office at 919-989-5160.  The office is open Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 5:00pm.