On the Marion County Recorder's Office program "On the Record," county officials and a prosecutor's office detective said they are seeing an increase in property-fraud schemes and urged residents to use a free county fraud-alert tool to get early notice of suspicious deed activity.

"This is a big thing these days. Property fraud, according to the FBI, is one of the fastest growing crimes in America," said JR Reiter, chief deputy recorder, introducing the topic. Detective Jason Fletcher of the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said, "We are definitely seeing an increase in property fraud crimes for sure."

The officials described common tactics and what victims should do. Fletcher said scammers often use forged deeds to record ownership and that they frequently target vacant properties and older residents. He said conspirators sometimes use a complicit notary who does not properly verify identification. "We have seen that as well," Fletcher said of notary-assisted fraud.

Reiter and Recorder Faith Kimbrough described a county-run property-fraud alert system that residents can register for; the system will notify registrants if activity appears on a deed tied to their property. Reiter said the service is free and that sign-up information was provided during the broadcast; the transcript does not give a phone number or web address.

Fletcher said criminal investigations into deed fraud come through the Marion County Prosecutor's Office and its grand jury division. He said the office has detectives who investigate these cases from "start to finish" and that prosecutions are treated seriously. "We are a group of detectives that work on this every day," Fletcher said.

Officials advised victims to file a police report with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) so the matter can be forwarded to the prosecutor's office for investigation. Fletcher said the length of investigations varies but "they can take up to a year to investigate for sure." He also noted there is a civil process separate from the criminal investigation for recovering property and that timing on regaining possession depends on that process.

The hosts and Fletcher encouraged ongoing public education to help residents recognize scams and to report suspected fraud. Recorder Faith Kimbrough said the fraud-alert tool is intended to help people "protect their legacy" and get ahead of potential scams.

Sign-up details for the property-fraud alert were announced on the program; the transcript does not record the specific contact information. The county recorder's office suggested callers or viewers use the posted sign-up information to register for alerts and to contact IMPD if they suspect they are a victim.