Schuyler County Clerk Theresa Philbin and County
Attorney Steven Getman are warning homeowners to be aware of a property deed
"scam" that may be taking place in Schuyler County.
“Reports
have surfaced recently of a company soliciting homeowners in the area who
recently have completed real estate transactions, asking them to pay $89.00 for
records which contain public information about their own property,” Getman
said.
However,
according to Philbin, deeds for every parcel of land in Schuyler County are
already recorded and kept on permanent record at the Schuyler County Clerk's
Office.
“After a
real estate closing the original deed is returned to the property owner or
their attorney at no additional charge and if you ever need another copy, you
can request one from the county clerk for as little 65 cents per page and often
less than five dollars,” Philbin explained.
“All
public records can be searched in the county clerk’s office through its indexes
Monday- Friday 8:30 AM- 4:30 PM.”
Philbin
and Getman also warned that the assessment profile the company is trying to
sell includes information that the homeowner does not need, and that could be
obtained for free from the County’s Real Property Tax Division or other
municipalities.
Currently
there is no law against companies selling you your own information, or a limit
on what they can charge.
Getman
says the best way to protect yourself is to stay vigilant and informed.
"We
want the residents of Schuyler County to be aware that the entities marketing
such requests are not related to the County Clerk's Office or any other
department inside Schuyler County government," Getman said.
If you
receive anything in the mail about your property records that seems questionable,
Philbin and Getman said that you can contact the county clerk or, in the event
of possible criminal activity, local law enforcement.
The
Schuyler County Clerk is responsible for all books, files and other necessary
equipment for the filing, recording and depositing of documents, maps, papers
in actions and special proceedings of both civil and criminal nature, judgment
and lien dockets and books for the indexing of the same as directed or
authorized by law
