Home › Notes from Tom

Scam alert

Scam alert: home title fraud, and anyone who asks for your deed

Tom Jarboe, NMLS #210600
November 3, 2026

Why I'm writing about this now

If you're an older homeowner and your home is paid off, or close to it, that's exactly the kind of home the DFPI says title thieves look for, along with homes of owners who recently died and empty or rental homes.

A second warning came from the FTC on April 2, 2026: scammers who promise to help with a home loan may try to get you to sign your deed over to them, and if you do, the FTC says you likely won't get it back.

How it works

The DFPI describes four steps. The thief gathers your personal information, forges a deed, records it with the county recorder, and then uses the false ownership: a loan against your home, a sale, or other identity fraud. You might not know until a debt collector, a lawsuit or an eviction notice shows up.

Questions about your own situation?

Talk with Tom Jarboe. He's been helping families with home loans since 1986. You'll get plain answers, and he'll tell you if a reverse mortgage isn't the right fit.

Call Tom: (909) 869-6588Get my personal estimate

Red flags

• Anyone who asks you to sign over your deed, or "add a name" to title, to qualify for help, a loan or a lower bill.
• Mail about a loan or deed you didn't sign, or mail at your address for someone you don't know.
• A recorded document you don't recognize, like a grant deed, quitclaim deed or deed of trust.
• A pitch that tells you to stop talking to your lender or servicer, or wants a fee up front, by wire, cashier's check or a payment app. The FTC names all three as warning signs.

A real reverse mortgage never asks you to sign your home over to the lender or anyone else. The title stays in your name, and the lender has a lien, like any mortgage.

What to do

1. Sign up for your county's alert. Both counties offer one, free.
2. Los Angeles County: the Registrar-Recorder mails copies of deeds, deeds of trust and foreclosure notices recorded on your home. For email alerts too, opt in through the Assessor's e-Notification at assessor.lacounty.gov/news-information/enotification. Questions: Consumer and Business Affairs, (800) 593-8222.
3. San Bernardino County: the county mails a courtesy letter, with the first two pages, when certain documents such as deeds are recorded. Don't throw it away. If you agreed to the transaction, you don't need to do anything.
4. Look up your title on your county recorder's site once in a while.
5. Never sign a deed or transfer without a real estate attorney or title company you chose yourself.
6. Read the fine print on paid "title lock" services. The DFPI says some give real protection and others only send alerts. Your county's alert covers the basics.
7. Stay close if you're a family member. Ask your parent to show you any mail about the house they don't understand. See protecting a parent from fraud.

Starting January 1, 2027, a new state law (SB 255) requires every California county to run a recorder notice program that mails a notice when a deed or deed of trust is recorded. Los Angeles County is exempt because it already runs its own.

If it already happened

The DFPI's steps: get a copy of the deed from the county recorder, file a police report, report identity theft to the FTC at IdentityTheft.gov and to the FBI at ic3.gov, notify the California Attorney General and file a complaint with the California Department of Real Estate. Call your title insurer and freeze your credit.

Where to report locally:

• San Bernardino County District Attorney, Real Estate Fraud Unit: (909) 382-7700 or [email protected].
• Los Angeles County Consumer and Business Affairs: (800) 593-8222.
• Scams and pressure pitches: ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• If you think an older adult is being taken advantage of: Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services, 1-877-477-3646, or San Bernardino County Adult Protective Services, 1-877-565-2020 (24 hours a day).

For more warning signs around reverse mortgages, read myths, real downsides and red flags.

Tom Jarboe, Regional Sales Manager, New American Funding, NMLS #210600, Diamond Bar.

Questions about your own situation? Talk with me first: (909) 869-6588. Before you can apply for a reverse mortgage, you'll meet with an independent HUD-approved counselor. More notes.

Related guides

• Scams and fraudReverse mortgage scams: protecting a parent from fraud, pressure and dementia risksRead →
• Tom explainsSet-asides, in plain words: pay your taxes and insurance on timeRead →
• How-toWhat to bring to reverse mortgage counseling (a checklist)Read →