Beaufort County Register of Deeds (ROD) Patsye Greene wants to remind all County homeowners that the County ROD offers a service to provide property owners with e-mail alerts anytime a document affecting a name or a specific property is recorded by the County Register of Deeds.

“I have seen recent advertisements that are encouraging people to pay for a service they can get for free through the county,” said Greene.  “My office takes fraud seriously and works very hard to protect our citizens.”

The property alert service immediately sends an email, whenever a document is recorded with the owner’s name or property ID (District/Map/Parcel) and is free of charge to homeowners.

With more recordings of fraudulent documents across the country, according to Mrs. Greene, Beaufort County has not yet been affected, however fraud on real property may not be discovered until owners seek to sell their house.

It’s important to note: this service cannot prevent fraud, however it is important to be notified early in case someone may be trying to steal your property without your knowledge.

The public can sign up for this free service by visiting the Beaufort County Register of Deeds website and following the links to register.

• There is no limit to the number of subscribers for a particular property legal description or party name.
• This service is for individuals who want to know if fraudulent activity has occurred under their name or on property located in Beaufort County. Owners may also wish to register the name or legal descriptions for property of elderly loved ones to help protect them from scams.
• The Property Alert Service is for any type of land owned in Beaufort County, whether occupied or vacant.
• Any document with a party name and/or legal description pertaining to real property is included.

More than 70,000 documents are recorded annually at the Beaufort County Register of Deeds Office. The only time recordings can be refused is when statutory guidelines are not met.