Long Island Residential Real Estate Attorney, Markotsis & Lieberman Esq., Share How Homeowners Can Protect the Title to Their Property

HICKSVILLE, N.Y., July 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- When someone uses your identity or personal information without your knowledge to commit a crime, they are participating in identity theft. The prevalence of identity theft, especially in the digital age, has led many people to keep their important documents or personal items very private. This includes credit card information and social security numbers. However, a form of identity theft that many people tend to forget is home title fraud. This occurs when someone changes the title of your property from your name to their name, thus becoming the "owner" of the property. This can be quite scary for homeowners because they can be completely unaware it is even occurring. It is important to know how you can protect the title to your property, and avoid dealing with any sort of fraud. Long Island residential real estate attorney, Markotsis & Lieberman Esq., share how homeowners can protect the title to their property.

Know If You Are A Target
In our growing age of technology, many things, even those of great importance, are done online. This includes transaction and document requests. Those looking to steal your identity and title can hack into these sites that hold valuable information to do so. Even if you feel you're being safe, and only using reliable sites, you can still be a victim. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are some individuals that are bigger targets than others. This includes the elderly and those with second homes. Elderly people are often targets due to not being aware of the signs of fraud, and usually not paying as much attention to their home payments later in life. This goes for second homeowners as well. Many people that have more than one home pay the most attention to their main residence, and less to their others. For the elderly and those with second homes, it is important to know they are inherently a target and to look for any strange activity that is occurring.

Make Sure You Are Receiving Your Bills
Homeowners are billed regularly for things such as mortgage, taxes, electricity, water, and more. If you are used to receiving these bills monthly, and aren't receiving them, you should look into if anything fraudulent is occurring. Many times this is a clear sign that there is criminal activity, especially if it is ongoing for months.

Analyze Your Credit Report
Analyzing your credit report is something useful to do in general for any sign of identity theft, not just home title fraud. Your credit card will allow you to see all financial activity that is occurring in your name, and will help you identify any criminal activity. If you don't recognize certain transactions, you can work with your bank and companies where the fraud occurred to determine what happened.

About Markotsis & Lieberman, Esq.: Markotsis & Lieberman, P.C. is a general practice law firm. Practice areas include real estate, litigation (commercial and civil), business formations, agreements and transactions, and wills, trusts and estates. Our team of seasoned attorneys are here to guide you through every step of the legal process providing personalized attention to every client. When you're facing a complicated legal situation, our team of legal experts is there to fight for your rights.

SOURCE Markotsis & Lieberman, P.C.