The City of Philadelphia is now using a new deed fraud detection technology that can verify if the signatory on the title was alive when property ownership was transferred.
The technology involves an automated vital status verification system that compares the names on documents sent to the city’s Department of Records with death records from the Social Security Administration. The deed is automatically rejected if the system identifies a signee as being deceased. The system’s findings can be used to alert law enforcement agencies to potential deed fraud, and the technology allows for a contestation process if there is an error is in the database.
Philly Voice reports the Department of Records found 111 cases of deed fraud last year, and one of the persistent forms of this crime involved illegal transfers carrying forged signatures of deceased property owners. Mayor Cherelle Parker unveiled the system while referring to title theft as a “silent crisis” impacting the most vulnerable residents.
“Thieves were stealing homes by forging deeds from deceased property owners, creating a nightmare for those families and their heirs,” Parker said. “Once these fraudulent deeds are recorded, victims face costly and time-consuming legal battles to reclaim their property … It’s important to note that this crime disproportionately impacts communities of color, seniors and our most vulnerable neighborhoods.”
