After multiple instances of solicitors targeting Dane County homeowners, county officials are supporting a new state law helping them “crack down” on scams, according to a statement.
Scammers are sending homeowners “misleading, official-looking” mail solicitations stating they need to purchase a deed to their home by a certain date for $80, which is 40 times more than the Register of Deeds office charges, according to the statement.
However, homeowners should already have a deed copy from the title company they used to buy their home, according to the statement. The scam is legal because of fine print at the bottom of the solicitations.
Wisconsin Act 247 should limit or eliminate the deed scams, according to the statement. Solicitors can be fined $100 per document in violation of the law, which requires more prominent disclaimers and limits to how much the companies can charge.
“Dane County residents now have additional protection from deed solicitors who are trying to make a quick buck off one of the most important purchases an individual or family can make,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in the statement.
Dane County Register of Deeds Kristi Chlebowski said in the statement her office never sends real estate or vital records solicitations and encouraged residents to contact her if they receive them.
