FREEHOLD, NJ – Monmouth County Clerk Christine Giordano Hanlon is launching a new service to combat property fraud.

The new Property Fraud Alert system, launched today, is a free subscription service that allows Monmouth County property owners to have their name/property monitored within the Recording Division of the County Clerk’s Office, in order to track possibly fraudulent activity.

“Property fraud is considered a growing trend,” Hanlon said. “The new Property Fraud Alert will enable users in Monmouth County to proactively respond to potentially fraudulent activity involving their property.”

Subscribers will be notified when the name they have submitted to the alert system is used in any recording activities within the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office. Users with common names may receive multiple alerts.

“The service is quick and easy to sign up for, and provides extra peace of mind to property owners,” Hanlon said. “Participants can choose whether to receive the alerts via e-mail or over the phone.”

Monmouth County property owners can subscribe to the free alert system by visiting the Property Fraud Alert system online at PropertyFraudAlert.com, or on the phone by calling 1-800-728-3858. In order to subscribe, property owners must choose “Monmouth County, NJ” from the dropdown menu and provide their name or business name. Property owners may register additional names free of charge to cover common misspellings.

A subscriber can easily verify the information received via an alert and view the actual document that was recorded by visiting the Monmouth County Open Public Record Search website at oprs.co.monmouth.nj.us, or by calling the Property Fraud Alert call center at 1-800-728-3858. The call center is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The best defense we can offer against property fraud is proactive protection,” said Hanlon. “Therefore, I encourage all Monmouth County property owners to sign up for this free service.”

If you have any questions about the Property Fraud Alert service, please call the Monmouth County Clerk’s Office at 732-431-7324, ext. 8909 or e-mail CountyClerk@co.monmouth.nj.us.

# # #