Property title theft is a big problem everywhere in the country, including Michigan, but new bills aimed to stop scammers from filing fake deeds with the county were signed into law.
So many people have been victimized by “dirty deeds,” where scammers file fake property deeds to steal property. It’s an expensive and frustrating problem for homeowners.
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Michigan representatives discussed the proposed bills in Lansing on May 15, 2024, that would make filing dirty deeds a serious crime.
Wayne County Register of Deeds Bernie Youngblood explained the problem of fake property deeds to a Michigan House of Representatives Committee.
“It is a crime to create a forged document but not to insert it into the database,” Youngblood said in May. “And that’s what I believe we are trying to prevent.”
The scammers create fake deeds and file them with the county to claim ownership of property that doesn’t belong to them. It’s a problem all over the country, and the new bills make filing a fake deed a felony that could land Michigan title thieves 10 years in prison, a $5,000 fine, or both.
“You have the opportunity here to begin to do something about it, to protect that Register of Deeds database and make it a felony to put these forged documents in the database,” Youngblood said. “I believe other states will follow your action.”
On Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the bills into law.
Related: Michigan notary program faces allegations of outdated practices
