Capital Region broker warns homeowners as deed fraud complaints surge

Colin McDonald of McDonald Real Estate Company is urging Albany-area homeowners to protect their titles as New York deed theft complaints have risen sharply. He says free county alert programs and routine deed checks can help catch fraud before a home is sold or refinanced without the owner’s knowledge. Why it matters: - Deed fraud can let a scammer steal control of a home without the owner knowing right away. - The risk is especially high for a family’s largest asset, and the damage can surface only when a sale, refinance or inheritance transfer is attempted. - New York deed theft complaints have risen roughly 240% from 2023 to 2025, signaling a broader escalation in the problem. What happened: - Colin McDonald, founder of McDonald Real Estate Company in Troy, warned Capital Region homeowners about rising deed theft across upstate New York. - McDonald said recent deed theft cases have already moved through courts in Albany County, Cohoes and Schenectady County. - McDonald Real Estate Company is offering Capital Region homeowners a free, no-obligation title check. The details: - Deed fraud typically works when a scammer forges a homeowner’s signature or files fraudulent documents that make a property appear paid off. - County clerks record property documents but are not required to verify that every signature or notary stamp is real. - In many counties, a deed can be filed or changed without the owner receiving notice. - Thieves often target vacant homes, non-owner-occupied properties, inherited homes with title still in an heir’s name, elderly owners and homes owned free and clear. - McDonald said the pattern looks organized, with groups operating at scale and in some cases tied to overseas activity. - McDonald said his brokerage now requires a real conversation before taking a listing, including a phone call, often a FaceTime, and an in-person meeting at the property. - McDonald’s team also checks that the seller has access to the home, including keys, and that the person is the owner of record. Between the lines: - The surge in complaints suggests deed fraud is no longer a rare paperwork scam and is becoming a recurring threat in smaller counties and suburbs. - Free county alert programs may be the fastest defense because they can flag suspicious filings early, before a thief gains time to borrow against or sell the property. - The push for in-person verification shows brokers are adjusting standard practices because email and text alone are easier for scammers to exploit. What’s next: - Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady county clerks all offer free property alert services that email owners when their name or property appears in a new filing. - McDonald recommends homeowners pull their recorded documents once a year and confirm the deed still shows the correct owner. - Owners of vacant homes, rentals or inherited properties should formalize title and monitor filings closely. - Homeowners who suspect fraud should contact the New York State Attorney General’s deed theft hotline at 1-800-771-7755 or email deedtheft@ag.ny.gov, then notify the county clerk immediately. - Capital Region homeowners can call (518) 505-4977 or visit more information to set up the free title check. The bottom line: - McDonald’s message is simple: deed theft is easy to miss, but it is also cheap to monitor and harder to unwind once it moves forward.