DON’T SEND A CHECK

Have you bought real estate and received a letter like this (pictured) soon after closing? Don’t send a check.

A client of mine received one in the mail recently and called me. She passed it on to me yesterday as I had asked her to keep it. It looks official as it has a lot of text and the largest text is “RECORDED DEED NOTICE”. If you don’t read the full document carefully it is easy to be fooled and of course “NOTICE” grabs people’s attention and fear. I have been asked about this letter by three clients within a short time span. All are smart people that were confused by it and fortunately they asked questions before sending a check.

One giveaway is the company sending the letter is in California. Also, at the top it states:

“THIS SERVICE TO OBTAIN A PROPERTY ASSESSMENT PROFILE IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH ANY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCY. YOU CAN OBTAIN A COPY OF YOUR GRANT DEED OR OTHER RECORD OF TITLE FROM THE COUNTY RECORDER IN THE COUNTY WHERE YOUR PROPERTY IS LOCATED FOR A NOMINAL FEE.”

Note that it also states at the bottom “This is not a bill. This is a solicitation.” Calling it a scam isn’t accurate but at best it is deceitful.