Real Estate Fraud Monitoring

The Recorder-Clerk's office has partnered with Equity Protect to provide FREE property monitoring services.

We are pleased to announce our partnership with Equity Protect for FREE property monitoring services.  Equity Protect provides comprehensive monitoring of public records in addition to numerous real estate databases, making them a trusted partner in fraud deterrence.  This service monitors property title and records, rental and sale listings, and the Dark Web.  You will receive FREE email notifications, monthly analysis and risk assessment. 

Click here to sign up for FREE monitoring today!

I received this flyer with my tax bill, is this real?

Yes, the Recorder-Clerk's office has contracted with Equity Protect to provide free property monitoring.  It will require your name, address or Assessor's Parcel Number, email address and telephone number.  You will receive an email and text to verify your information.  If you do not have an email address, you will not be able to sign up at this time but hope to have this resolved shortly.  Shortly after signing up, you will receive a risk assessment from Equity Protect.  

I received an email from Equity Protect that my property is at an elevated risk? 

If you received an email that your property is at an elevated risk for fraud, it is based on a number of factors.  The email is to make you aware of the potential risk level and make you aware of services available to you.  Many residents have asked our office for a way to protect their property title, EquityProtect offers an insured, patented paid service that provides an extra layer of security for your property title.   

There is no obligation to purchase this service.

If you have any questions regarding this FREE service, please contact our office at recorderclerk@edcgov.us.

Our current procedures:

In the El Dorado County Recorder-Clerk’s office, we send notification to property owners when a quitclaim deed is recorded outside of a title company.  The notification of transfer letter is sent to the property owner, as of January 1 of the given year, at the address the property tax bill was mailed.  The letter states that there has been a property transfer and if they were not aware of it to please contact our office immediately.  Because a title company guarantees title during escrow, we do not sent notification on documents recorded by title company. 

If a document is presented to the Recorder and meets recording requirements and fees are paid, the Recorder is required by statute to record the document (Government Code 27201).  Our staff reviews all document to ensure they meet recording requirements.  Documents received by mail or over the counter, if the examiner identifies something that is out of place they will refer the document to a supervisor for further review.  The supervisor will investigate the document further, which may entail reaching out to the property owner, the document preparer or presenting a copy of the document to the District Attorney’s Real Estate Fraud Division for further investigation.   

As a property owner, one of the best things you can do to protect your property is to review our recorded document index periodically.  Our indexes are available 24/7, under Official Records Index, you will search by your last name space first name.  The indexes of all recorded documents under your name will come up.  We know there are other services that offer to protect your property or notify you when these documents are recorded, but they are reactive not preventative. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office at recorderclerk@edcgov.us.  

What should I do if there was an attempt to list my property for sale?

If someone is trying to sell your property and you are contacted by a Real Estate Agent, please complete the El Dorado County District Attorney Complaint Form or call the Fraud Hotline at 866-629-0171.