Homeowners — Beware of Deed Scam

Recently, the Lake County Recorder of Deeds office has been getting phone calls from concerned residents about a deed scam. There are two companies soliciting Lake County homeowners — "Local Records Office" and "Illinois Deed Providers" — offering to provide them with a certified copy of their deed. The Recorder's Office is asking residents to be on the lookout for solicitations from these two companies, because they are charging $89 plus $4.50 for postage and handling.

There may come a time when you need to reference the deed to your home. As often happens, people misplace their deeds or in some instances, never actually received the original deed at the time they purchased their home. For your protection, all requests for copies of deeds should be handled directly through the Lake County Recorder's office. The average deed is four pages or less, with a copy fee of only $1 per page. Seniors may request a copy for free. As you can see, these fake businesses are roughly making a $90 profit on every request they handle.

Mary Ellen Vanderventer, Lake County Recorder of Deeds explained, "As the keeper of the property records for all of Lake County, we do not want to see anyone needlessly harmed by these deceptive offers."

If you have any other questions or concerns, contact the Lake County Recorder of Deeds office at 847-377-2575.

This news release was provided by Lake County.