A stranger can’t move into your house without you noticing. But someone can record a forged deed with your name on it, and you might not find out for years.
That’s deed fraud, sometimes called title theft. A fraudster forges your signature on a deed or mortgage and records it with the county. Then they try to sell the property or borrow against it. Vacant land, rental homes, second homes, and houses without a mortgage are especially at risk. There are fewer people around those properties and there’s usually equity that can turn into cash for a fraudster.
The Clerk’s office records documents that meet the formal requirements (and sometimes those that don’t). They don’t make any determination on the validity of what they are asked to file, nor can they. So protection falls to others.
Real estate attorneys are more often checking and validating seller identification–our office uses CertifID for that. And homeowners have tools available, as well. Two tools are critical: 1) property alerts that look at county filings and 2) a title policy that covers fraud after the closing.
Tool #1: FANS, Georgia’s Free Filing Alert
The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Cooperative Authority (GSCCCA) runs the Filing Activity Notification System, or FANS. It is free, voluntary, and covers every county in Georgia. You choose what to monitor, and FANS emails or texts you when a matching document is filed and indexed by any Clerk of Superior Court in the state.
FANS watches real estate records like deeds, liens, and plats. It also watches UCC filings on personal property.
How to sign up
- Go to fans.gsccca.org and create an account. You’ll confirm it by email or phone.
- Agree to the terms of service and choose “Add Notification Request.”
- Enter the names you want to track. Add every version of your name that might appear on a deed. Consider popular nicknames or your maiden name. You can’t add an LLC name, but you can add a notification request based on an address–that notification looks at UCC filings and filed Transfer Tax (PT-61) declaration data.
- Repeat for anyone you help look after, such as aging parents, who are frequent targets. By accepting the FANS terms, you do have to confirm that they authorized you to request the notifications.
One note on this process–you do need to login once a year to keep your account active and renew your notifications, so put it on your calendar to check annually.
What FANS Can’t Do
FANS only informs you when something is filed that matches your alert, so that’s why it’s helpful to add variants of your name. A few other limits to keep in mind:
- Alerts start the day you sign up. FANS won’t flag anything filed before you created your notification.
- Alerts depend on the Clerk’s indexing. GSCCCA doesn’t guarantee that notices will be complete or accurate, so FANS supplements periodic checks of your records.
- An alert isn’t a fix. If a forged deed is recorded, getting it set aside usually means legal work, often a court action. That can be slow and expensive.
But the second tool can help with that last point.
Tool #2: The Homeowner’s Policy, Coverage That Looks Forward
Most buyers purchase an owner’s title insurance policy at closing. Many don’t realize what it covers. The standard ALTA Owner’s Policy protects you against title problems, including forgery, that happened before you bought the home. A forged deed recorded after your closing isn’t covered.
The ALTA Homeowner’s Policy of Title Insurance, often called the “enhanced” policy, closes that gap. Among its added protections is coverage for forgery or impersonation affecting your title after the policy date. If someone forges your name on a deed or mortgage five years from now, your title insurer stands behind your ownership. (That policy must still be in effect, so if you want to transfer ownership to an LLC, for example, you may need to purchase an endorsement covering that change to keep your policy alive.)
| Standard Owner’s Policy | Homeowner’s Policy | |
|---|---|---|
| Forgery before you bought | Covered | Covered |
| Forgery after you bought | Not covered | Covered |
| Type of property | Any property type | 1–4 family residences |
Layering these tools is a good plan. FANS tells you quickly that something was filed. The Homeowner’s Policy may help to clear it.
The enhanced policy costs slightly more than the standard policy, and it isn’t available for every property or transaction. The time to ask about it is before closing. If you’re buying a home, ask your closing attorney whether the Homeowner’s Policy is available for your purchase.
Already Own Your Home?
Pull out the folder from your closing attorney and review the documents to see if you purchased a title policy. If you closed with a standard owner’s policy, you aren’t necessarily out of luck. Newer title insurance options can add future-forgery protection to an existing owner’s policy. Availability and cost vary by underwriter, so give us a call and we’ll look at what your policy and that underwriter allows.
Whatever your policy says, sign up for FANS today. It’s free and takes about ten minutes.
Own Property in Another State?
FANS only covers Georgia. The other states we serve offer free alerts county by county, so check with the recording office where your property sits.
- Alabama: The recently enacted Alabama Property Protection Act of 2026 allows Alabama probate judges to put notification systems in place, but this will vary by county. Currently the three most populous counties have those alerts: Jefferson County, Madison County, and Mobile County.
- Florida: All 67 county Clerks offer free property fraud alerts. The Florida Clerks’ sign-up list links to each county.
- South Carolina: Some county Registers of Deeds offer alerts, including Greenville County, Horry County, Charleston County, and Beaufort County.
- Tennessee: Many county Registers of Deeds offer free alerts, including Shelby, Davidson, and Knox.
The Bottom Line
You can’t stop someone from recording a forged document, but you can find out fast. Couple that with strong title policy coverage, and you won’t be alone in addressing the fraud.
- Georgia Homeowners: Sign up for FANS at fans.gsccca.org.
- Buying a home: Ask about the ALTA Homeowner’s Policy before closing.
- Got an alert you don’t recognize: Look up the document, then call a real estate attorney right away. Potential fraud should be addressed as soon as possible.
Sherman & Phalen handles real estate closings across Georgia, Florida, Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Contact us today if you have a closing coming up or want to review your title policy.