347-787-6824Few crimes are as devastating as losing your home, especially when you lose it to someone you have never even met. Deed theft happens when the title to a property is transferred without the owner knowing or agreeing to such, and it disproportionately targets elderly homeowners, communities of color, and neighborhoods where values are rising fast. According to the New York City Sheriff’s office, at least 3,500 deed theft complaints have been filed in the city over the past decade. Thieves typically work in one of two ways: forgery, where a scammer fakes the owner’s signature on a deed and records it with the county, or fraud, where a homeowner is tricked into signing away the deed after false promises of help.
New York State Strengthens Homeowner Protections with New Deed Theft Law, City Bar Justice Center (September 16, 2024). Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.citybarjusticecenter.org/news/new-york-state-strengthens-homeowner-protections-with-new-deed-theft-law/
Assemblywoman Pheffer Amato and District Attorney Melinda Katz Host Homeowner Deed Protection Webinar, New York State Assembly (citing the New York City Sheriff’s Office). Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.assembly.ny.gov/mem/Stacey-Pheffer-Amato/story/111687
Deed Theft Laws in NYC: What Counts as Home Title Theft, Jason Goldman Law (September 30, 2025). Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.jasongoldmanlaw.com/insights/deed-home-title-theft
How New York is fighting back. New York now has some of the nation’s strongest deed theft protections. In November 2023, the state enacted a law (S.6577/A.6656) allowing the Attorney General and district attorneys to pause related eviction and ownership proceedings while a theft is investigated, and to invalidate fraudulent sale and loan documents. In July 2024, the state went further, classifying deed theft as grand larceny with escalating felony penalties, extending the time to bring charges, and giving the Attorney General’s office original criminal jurisdiction
Governor Hochul Signs Legislation to Protect New York Homeowners From Deed Theft, Office of the Governor of New York (November 14, 2023). Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-signs-legislation-protect-new-york-homeowners-deed-theft
to prosecute these cases statewide. The first indictments under the new law were announced in August 2025.
How to protect your home. You do not have to wait for a thief to act. New York City homeowners can sign up for the City Register’s Notice of Recorded Document Program, which sends a free alert whenever a deed, mortgage, or related document is recorded against your property, and you can add a trusted family member or attorney as a designee. It is also wise to check your property’s records on ACRIS at least once a year. Long Island owners have similar free tools: Nassau County’s Property Fraud Alert and Suffolk County’s Homeowner Watch List. Two more safeguards matter: purchasing an owner’s title insurance policy, a one-time cost that protects against forgery and fraud in your chain of title and consulting a lawyer before adding or removing anyone from your deed or taking out a new, second, or reverse mortgage.
City Bar Justice Center, supra note 1 (July 2024 law classifying deed theft as grand larceny, extending the statute of limitations, and granting the Attorney General original criminal jurisdiction).
New York Indicts Two Under the State’s New Deed Theft Law; How to Protect Your Home, ConsumerAffairs (August 11, 2025). Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/new-york-indicts-two-under-the-states-new-deed-theft-law-how-to-protect-your-home-081125.html
Protect Your Property from Deed Fraud, NYC Department of Finance. Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/deed-fraud.page
Automated City Register Information System (ACRIS), NYC Department of Finance. Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.nyc.gov/site/finance/property/acris.page
Property Fraud Alert Sign Up, Nassau County, NY. Accessed June 9, 2026, https://www.nassaucountyny.gov/4699/Property-Fraud-Alert-Sign-Up; Homeowner Watch List (HOWL), Suffolk County Clerk. Accessed June 9, 2026, https://clerk.suffolkcountyny.gov/kiosk/Default.aspx
NYC Department of Finance, supra note 7 (recommending owner’s title insurance and consulting a lawyer before changing a deed or taking out a new mortgage).
If you become a victim. Act quickly. Report suspected fraud to the New York City Sheriff’s Office at (718) 707-2100 or to the Attorney General at 800-771-7755, obtain a certified copy of the fraudulent document, and contact counsel immediately.
If you are buying, selling, or simply want to make sure your title is secure, the brokers at EVERHOUSE Realty and the attorneys at the Law Firm of Dayrel Sewell, PLLC can help you safeguard the most valuable asset most New Yorkers will ever own.
Tags: Deed Theft, Title Fraud, Home Title Theft, Deed Fraud Protection, ACRIS, New York Homeowners, Property Records, Title Insurance, Brooklyn Real Estate, New York Real Estate Law
