09/03/2026
A more recent scam we are hearing about lately is "Title Fraud" where people fraudulently convey title or take out liens to get money for themselves using your real estate as the collateral, unbeknownst to you. While it definitely can be scary and certainly a hassle to rectify, it is fraudulent. You can protect yourself and get immediate alerts if your name appears in the land records as to a recently filed/recorded document.
To obtain your own "home shield",
In Norfolk County, sign up here: https://norfolkresearch.org/ALIS/WW400R.HTM?WSEMAD=&WSPWD=&WSHTNM=WW000R11CN&WSIQTP=SY40I
For Barnstable County, sign up here:
https://search.barnstabledeeds.org/ALIS/WW400R.HTM?WSEMAD=god&WSPWD=holmgren&WSHTNM=WW000R11CN&WSIQTP=SY40I&WSWVER=2
For other counties, search for "Consumer Alerts" on their websites. You can search for the registry in which your records appear here:
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/registry-of-deeds/locate-by-town.htm
