LEE COUNTY, Fla. — Lee County Clerk Kevin Karnes is encouraging all property owners to register with the county's property fraud alert system after recent cases of deed fraud have been reported.
"Most people in our community don't realize how easy it is for their properties to be stolen by criminals," Karnes said.
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The property fraud alert system, launched in 2018, notifies registered property owners via email within 24 hours if a document is filed in their name.
"Before this alert system ever existed, most people didn't realize they were a victim of this crime until they didn't get their tax bill later on in the year, around November. What this service does is notifies people via email within 24 hours of a document being filed in their registered name," Karnes said.
While more than 60,000 Lee County property owners have registered for the alert system, Karnes notes this is a small number compared to the 500,000 parcels of land in the county.
Karnes pointed to two cases of attempted property fraud. Suenahmie Bradford was found guilty of first-degree grand theft and trespassing in 2023 and will be sentenced in May. In another case last month, investigators said that a man attempted to file a fraudulent deed with the Lee Clerk's Official Records Department. The clerk's property fraud prevention pilot program provided police with the fraudulent driver's license the man used, which led to his arrest.
"While I'm working with the government to change the laws that need to be done, I encourage homeowners and property owners to just register for their service so we can get these people held accountable. Criminals do this because it's easy and it gives them a high reward," Karnes said.
Registering for the property fraud alert system takes less than two minutes, according to Karnes. Property owners can visit the clerk's website and fill out a form with their first name, last name and email address.
"Anytime a document is filed in your registered name, it will send you an email within 24 hours so you can do some research and get law enforcement investigating your case sooner rather than later," Karnes said.
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