Property Fraud is on the rise in America. Millions of Americans are losing their home or getting swept into lengthy legal battles for their property. This FREE service is provided by the Sedgwick County Register of Deeds to you to help safeguard you against becoming a victim of Property Fraud; by signing up, you are taking the first steps in monitoring your most valuable asset, your home, by being aware of the activity.
Property Fraud Alert Frequently Asked Questions.
What Is Property Fraud (PFA)?
Property Fraud Alert is a notification service that alerts subscribers (via email or phone contact) each time a document is recorded with their name on it in the participating County Land Records office. The subscriber must select one method of notification, either an email address or a phone number.
Is there a fee to subscribe to PFA?
Sedgwick County offers this FREE of charge to Sedgwick County Residents.
My first name is often spelled many ways; how should I enter it?
It is highly recommended that you enter only the first letter of your first name in the first name field. For example, with a name such as Steve, Stephen, or Steven, you may wish to enter the letter “S” in the first name field. Or you may wish to enter the first few letters of your first name to limit the number of first name matches. For example, if the letters “St” are entered, a name match may result for the names Steven, Stan, Stacy, Sterling, etc.
My last name is spelled differently on occasion; how should I enter it?
To illustrate, let’s use the last name “Van Buren” as our example. This name may at times be spelled with a space in it (“Van Buren”) and at other times with no space (“VanBuren”). For cases like this, it is highly recommended that you make two separate subscription entries with both name variations. For the Property Fraud Alert system to work as intended, and for notification alerts to be sent, the last name spelling, or business name spelling of the subscription name must match exactly.
My last name is very common; will I receive notification alerts that could possibly belong to someone else?
It is very possible to receive an alert that may actually pertain to another individual with the same last name (and first name) as you. Again, make sure you enter the last name spelling exactly.
My name is John Smith Junior (Jr.), how would I enter that into the subscription form?
It is imperative that you DO NOT enter the suffix of your name (Jr.,Sr., etc.) while entering your name into the subscription form. Only enter your first name information into the first name field and your last name information into the last name field. The same logic applies with middle names; DO NOT enter a middle name (or middle initial) into the first or last name fields.
What if my name, my email address, or my phone number changes? How do I update my subscription with this new information?
For those counties in which PFA is a no-charge service, you can simply go to the PFA website and enter your new data information. For those counties where a subscription fee is required, please email feedback@propertyfraudalert.com or phone 1-800-728-3858 and request the appropriate data change.
How long does my name remain on the PFA notification list?
With Sedgwick County offering PFA at no charge, your name will remain on the notification list indefinitely.