By WMBD TV
TAZEWELL COUNTY – Records in Tazewell County will be a bit safe, says County Clerk John Ackerman.
The clerk announced during a mid-morning news conference the new Property Fraud Review And Referral Initiative.
State law allows Ackerman as the county’s Recorder of Deeds to “to review deeds and instruments and refer any of them to an Administrative Law Judge for review if they are believed to be fraudulent, unlawfully altered, or intended to unlawfully cloud or transfer the title of any real property.”
Under that state law, he could then work with local law enforcement officials and the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation to enable the review of such suspected fraudulent documents.
The county already has a Fraud Alert Program which was established in 2021. That gives property owners immediate notification when someone changes or adjusts any document with their name on it filed within the Tazewell County Recorder of Deed’s Office
That alert program, which is provided through a contract with Fidlar Technologies, is in place at more than 70 counties in Illinois.
“By today announcing the establishment of this new Fraud Referral And Review Initiative, our office will be able to offer legal assistance to victims of property fraud. These victims have done nothing wrong and should be provided every assistance available to fix the damage of this crime,” Ackerman said.
WMBD can be reached at [email protected].