Today’s Scam of the day is one that I have been warning you about since 2012, but lately there has been a resurgence of this scam as indicated by the number of Scamicide readers who have inquired about this scam after receiving a confusing notice.  The scam begins with a call, email or snail mail letter informing you of the importance of having a copy of the deed to your home.  Often these scammers will charge you $90 or more to obtain a copy of your deed for you.

Having an actual copy of your deed is not very important once it has been recorded in the local Registry of Deeds, however it is still a good record to keep.  However, obtaining a copy of your deed on your own from your local Registry of Deeds is both simple and rarely costs more than a few dollars at the most. The problem with this particular scam is that technically, it may be legal in the sense that they are offering to obtain a copy of your deed for you for a fee and there is nothing illegal about that.  However, the emails and letters you receive offering this service are usually confusing and misleading which is why I consider them to be a scam.

In 2018 Ohio actually passed a law requiring specific disclosures to consumers be made when a fee is requested to obtain a copy of a deed on your behalf. The disclosure must include the actual cost charged by the Registry of Deeds for a deed copy as well as prohibiting charging a fee more than four times the cost charged by the Registry of Deeds.

TIP

This is an easy scam to avoid. If you get such a call, email or letter, merely ignore it.  If you want a copy of your deed, merely contact your local Registry of Deeds where you can get one for a nominal cost.

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