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California - Title Compliance Office - SCAM ALERT!

By
Real Estate Agent with 1st Action Real Estate

Title Compliance Office – SCAM ALERT!

Recently I’ve had several members phone me or send me a copy of a report allegedly from the Title Compliance Office in Riverside County. Printed in English on one side and Spanish on the other, they warn homeowners that they need to have a deed to their home so they can prove they own it. In official souding language they offer to get you an 'official' or 'certified' copyof your deed for the paltry sum of $167.

This is a blatant scam trying to separate you from $167. Everybody gets a copy of your Grant Deed when you purchase a property and if you don’t have it either the Riverside County recorder can get you one or most any title company can do it for nothing or a small fee for printing and mailing. What's worse - by signing the docvument you are giving them written access to your records.

Here's what the Better Business Bureau had to say:

Company Rating F
Our opinion of what this rating means:
We strongly question the company’s reliability for reasons such as that they have failed to respond to complaints, their advertising is grossly misleading, they are not in compliance with the law’s licensing or registration requirements, their complaints contain especially serious allegations, or the company’s industry is known for its fraudulent business practices.
 
County officials have also warned the public - Beware Grant Deed Scammers.
 

Comments(28)

Anonymous
a

Thank you for posting this! I received a similar letter from

"Title Compliance Office/Records Retriveval Division" Los Angeles, CA 90024-0040

 

Jul 07, 2010 09:44 AM
#9
Anonymous
E. Haley

Well this is my second letter from a scammer. But this time i got on line to check if it was a scam like the other one was "Good looking out" people. The last time I also called the County Recorders Office to check and It was a scam.

Thanks for the posting saved me some time.

Jul 07, 2010 12:11 PM
#10
Anonymous
Bill G.

Appreciate this making the first page on a google search :-)  I was sure it was a scam right away.

Our home and mortgage are in both my wife's and my names, so it made no sense at all that any legit letter would be mailed to only my attention. These idiots are scum personified. Thanks for helping expose them.

Jul 08, 2010 01:25 PM
#11
Anonymous
Sandra

These ppl have relocated to LA,  I received a letter today from them asking for $175 to forward a money order to a P.O. box # in Los Angeles. This crazy, I knew it was a scam from te beggining

Jul 09, 2010 09:36 AM
#12
Anonymous
Not Me

I just received the Riverside County "TITLE COMPLIANCE OFFIC - PROCESS IMMEDIATELY" highly suspect fake official looking request for suckers.  I called their 800# and it went to a mans voicemail, sounded like he recorded it on a cell phone outdoors.  I said I would check the actual document fee with the Clerk and if under $25.00 I would report him.  Looks like the fee would have been something like $3.00 for the first page and another buck for certification. 

Instead of adding a stamp,  what I have always done with over priced credit offers etc.  Is stuf the return envelope with junk mail, clean trash etc.  and drop it in the mail   When bulk mail they pay for the returned items.  Make it a surcharge.  In this case it will be postage due.

Jul 15, 2010 10:01 AM
#13
Anonymous
Don

I received this today - SO obviously a scam. I want to know whom to report them to.

Jul 16, 2010 06:50 AM
#14
Anonymous
Anon

I just got one today. I remember hearing about this scam a while ago and reading the letter it sounded fishy. good thing for google! 

Aug 19, 2010 10:48 AM
#15
Anonymous
Alice

I just got my letter today and I knew it was BS right away. I know you can obtain any public record from county recorder office, Why cant this Co. be stopped???? Feel sorry for older people who get conned out of $167.00. This scam is posted all over on line, good thing!!!!!

Aug 24, 2010 03:49 PM
#16
Anonymous
Gregg

SAVE YOU'RE MONEY, YOU CAN CALL YOUR LOCAL REALTOR AND THEY CAN GET TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE!

IT'S A SCAM, CONTACT YOUR FRIENDLY REALTOR TODAY!

Aug 26, 2010 05:13 AM
#17
Gene Wunderlich
1st Action Real Estate - Murrieta, CA
Realtor & Legislative Liaison

I love this - so happy you folks found this and saved a few bucks. Everybody needs a little spare cash these days - everybody but these clowns that is.

Aug 26, 2010 08:49 AM
Anonymous
C V Harris

Just as I thought, another way to pray on the innocent. Something should be done to setup a major STING OPERATION to rid these scumm buckets off the planet. Thanks your website may have saved many heart breaks.

 

CV

Aug 26, 2010 05:08 PM
#19
Gene Wunderlich
1st Action Real Estate - Murrieta, CA
Realtor & Legislative Liaison

Just email me a check for 10% of the money you all saved and we'll all feel warm & fuzzy. No really.

Aug 27, 2010 11:15 AM
Anonymous
Jim Lauffer

Where is the warning notice from the County?  The link referenced is not active.  I have been around long enough to recognize a scam but what about the thousands that will send their hard earned money to support this criminal activity? Every home owner should receive a scam notice in the mail, and the State needs to prosecute the "Title Compliance Office"!

Aug 30, 2010 07:56 AM
#21
Gene Wunderlich
1st Action Real Estate - Murrieta, CA
Realtor & Legislative Liaison

Thanks Jim - I've updated the link to direct you to the Riverside County Tax Assessors office - Larry Ward has it posted right under his picture on the main page. I'll talk to Larry and see if there's anything they can do to prosecute. I've had that question come up numerous times and nobody seems to do anything about it.

Aug 30, 2010 08:30 AM
Anonymous
Anonymous

Thanks for google, My wife had already placed a stamp on the return envelope since the deadline date was days away, I called the 800 number leaving numeruos messages regarding this letter after finding our copy of the grant deed. This scam should be printed in our local papers for those who do not have internet access....... $167.00 Is alot, Now that we all have to budget our source of income, ONCE AGAIN THUMBS UP FOR GOOGLE, Where you can almost find every answer your looking for.

 

 

 

 

Sep 13, 2010 06:55 AM
#23
Anonymous
pam norrell

Is this being reported to any agency. I would like to shut them down  I imagine many people will send in the money and they will make thousand of dollars.

Oct 06, 2010 07:12 AM
#24
Anonymous
yossie

I think each of us should call the phone number everyday and threaten that you are doing everything you can to shut them down. Maybe that will cost them time. I'm taking my copy to the post office. Seems like they shouldn't be delivering scams.

Oct 11, 2010 01:53 PM
#25
Anonymous
Bob Loblaw

I mailed them a box of dog shit.

Oct 24, 2010 10:43 AM
#26
Anonymous
Lois

There was no disclaimer on the back of the letter received, contrary to what another poster said. On the back of mine was the same scam in Spanish. It's an outrage and I wonder if there is some government agency to complain to.

 

 

Oct 25, 2010 03:24 PM
#27
Anonymous
Anonymous

Got this here in Phoenix Arizona.

**NOTICE FOR MARICOPA COUNTY PROPERTY OWNERS**

 

Title Compliance

Records Retrieval Division

Phoeni, Arizona

$157.00 (for Title compliance)

 

Complete BS

 

THANK YOU ACTIVE RAIN! (although it was pretty obvious)

Jan 11, 2011 05:08 AM
#28