Lee County Clerk of Court, FL
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Property Fraud Alert is a free service offered by the Lee County Clerk of Court that alerts subscribers via email when a land document is recorded in the Lee County Official Records using a name or parcel that they have registered. This notification does not apply to documents filed in court proceedings.
Fraud can be committed in a number of ways by recording documents in public records. For example, someone can create a fraudulent document that will deed your home to them and then record that document in the official records.
The Clerk’s office must record all documents that meet the requirements outlined in the Florida Statutes. If a document is properly executed and presented with payment, it is the responsibility of the Clerk’s office to record the document.
The Property Fraud Alert system is designed to send email notifications within 24 hours of a recorded land record document for registered users. The alert keeps you informed about any recorded documents on your property. Sign up today and start protecting your most valuable investments.
Visit the Property Fraud Alert registration page to register a personal name, business name, or parcel.
Repeat the process to register as many names/parcels as you like.
If any document is recorded in Lee County matching the names/parcels you have registered, you will receive a notification within 24 hours. The notification includes instructions on how to view the recorded document and how to proceed if you feel the activity is fraudulent.
Visit the Property Fraud Alert registration page and follow the directions provided there. You may register as many names and parcels as you wish.
No, simply register online using your internet browser.
Registration requires internet access and an email address. If you do not have these, you might want to ask a friend or family member with access to sign up on your behalf and to notify you if they receive any alerts.
You will need the email address you wish to use, the personal name or business name to be registered, and the Parcel ID, if you wish to register a parcel as well. The Parcel ID is a 17-character parcel identifier, also known as a STRAP number. This number is typically found on recorded documents that involve property (such as Deeds, Notices of Commencement, and Liens), and it may also be available on the Lee County Property Appraisers web site.
The Parcel ID is a 17-character (consisting of numbers and letters) parcel identifier, also known as the STRAP number. It may be located on existing property-related documents (Deeds, Notices of Commencement, Liens, etc.) in your possession or found online using the Landmark Web Official Records Search (leeclerk.org). It is also likely to be found on the Lee County Property Appraiser’s search site, where you can search by property owner name or property address.
At this time, the property fraud alert system can only search by Personal Name, Business Name or Parcel ID.
You may register as many names and parcels as you like.
Notifications are based on exact matches, so for best results you may wish to register more than once to include a middle name or a middle initial.
Do not include a period ‘.’ after entering a middle initial.
For example, John Alan Smith may wish to register all of these names:
First Middle Last
John Smith
John Alan Smith
John A Smith
If you register a name, you may receive an Alert Notification for a document that is recorded in the name of an individual that shares that name. You are advised to review the document carefully to determine if this is the case. View the document using the link provided in the email you receive to determine if the recorded document is relevant to you or your property.
Yes, you can include a suffix (Jr., Sr., II, etc.) by placing it in the Middle Name field using the guidelines below.
Do not include any punctuation (periods, commas) with your suffix.
To include a suffix with no middle name, place the suffix in the middle name field.
To include a suffix with a middle name, place the middle name in the middle name field, add a space, and then add the suffix.
To include a suffix with a middle initial, place the middle initial in the middle name field, add a space, and then add the suffix with no punctuation.
Examples:
If your name is: Enter this:
Name First Middle Last
John Smith, Jr. John Jr Smith
John R. Smith, Jr. John R Jr Smith
John Alan Smith, Jr. John Alan Jr Smith
John Smith, II John II Smith
No. You will only receive notifications when names and parcels on recorded documents match exactly with the information that has been registered for Fraud Alert Notification.
- Yes, if a document is recorded with any name you choose to monitor, you will receive an alert.
No, this service only alerts subscribers of documents being recorded in Lee County’s official records.
Can a Clerk representative help me learn about the document without me having to click the link in the alert email?
If you prefer not to click on the link provided, you can search Official Records directly here: Search Official Records | Lee County Clerk of Court, FL (leeclerk.org) to review the document in question. You can also contact Official Records Services by phone or email and we will be happy to assist you.
The alert email will provide you with a direct link to the document in Lee County’s official records. You can easily review the recording information and the image to determine if this document is of concern to you.
If you suspect you are a victim of fraud, contact the law enforcement agency in the jurisdiction where the property is located.
You may also wish to contact an attorney to determine whether you need to take legal action if you believe the recording activity is fraudulent.
If the document is a lien, and you dispute the lien filed against your property, contact the lien filer.
Someone has stolen my property and I have contacted the police and the fraud hotline. What do I do next?
You may wish to consult with an attorney about the options available to you to remedy the situation.
It’s possible that data related to an old recorded document was updated, and this triggered a notification to be generated. You can contact Official Records Services if you would like to investigate this matter further.
I recorded a document last week/yesterday and I already have signed up for the alert. Why didn't I receive an alert for the new recorded document?
Please contact Official Records Services in-person, via email, or by phone, and they can look into this matter for you.
The property fraud alert system allows you to register names and parcel IDs, but registration by property address is not currently an option.
No, but it will notify you of a potential problem so that you can investigate to determine whether fraudulent activity related to your property may have occurred.
My property was previously stolen but it has now been awarded back to me. What is the next step in removing the fraudulent deed from your records?
You may wish to consult with an attorney about the procedures available to you to address this situation.
You may un-register names and parcels as follows:
Visit the Property Fraud Alert registration page and click on “Receive Email to Edit Property Fraud Alert” located at the bottom of the screen. You will receive an email with a list of your registered names/parcels, with links that allow you to un-register each.
Yes, in accordance with a state law enacted May 6, 2024, names, phone numbers, emails and parcel ID numbers used to register for Property Fraud Alert is exempt from public record.