If you live in Broward County, you may have received a letter from Marty Kiar, the Broward County Property Appraiser (BCPA), concerning a new service called Owner Alert. This is a free service offered by the county to alert you if someone attempts to fraudulently change the ownership of your property. Apparently, this is becoming a very real issue around the country. As you know, South Florida always seems to be in the forefront of these scams.
It is very easy to register your property. Just go to web.bcpa.net/OwnerAlert and follow the prompts. You will need the property ID which is provided on the notice, or they have a lookup tool on the link if you haven’t received your mailing yet. The letter states that you will also need your Driver’s License number but, when I registered, it was not requested. Keep in mind, that this is just an alert system. If you believe someone is tampering with your property deed, notify the authorities immediately to stop the scammers.