Worried About Losing Your Home to Fraud?

Ads for home title lock insurance might cause unnecessary concern by suggesting thieves can steal your home’s title. However, title lock insurance is not actual insurance but a monitoring service that alerts you after title fraud has occurred. Unlike title insurance, which protects you against title challenges from the start, title lock insurance does not prevent fraud. If you live in Clark County and are a homeowner, you can monitor your title for free through Clark County's free notification program. Property Recording Notification is an electronic notification service that alerts a subscriber via email every time a land record document is recorded, indexed, and verified with a requested name and parcel number.

The Recording Notification Registration is available online at https://e-docs.clark.wa.gov/LandmarkWeb/FraudAlert. It's a simple registration and only takes a moment. They will send you an email, asking you to confirm. Confirm and you're registered.

Good ways to protect yourself from identity theft include:

• Check your credit report. Check your credit report for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. Each of the nationwide credit bureaus lets you get free weekly credit reports online. Yes, you can get free weekly credit reports now!

• Monitor your bills. If you suddenly stop receiving utility bills, that may be a sign of identity theft. If you’re worried, contact your utility company directly.

• Get help. If you suspect identity theft, go to IdentityTheft.gov for a free, personalized recovery plan.