TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. – Tazewell County is launching a new system designed to prevent notary and property fraud.
County Clerk Chief Deputy Dan Sullivan says it’s one of the fastest growing white-collar crimes in the country, where a frequent part of the crime is fraudulent notary stamp usage.
Sullivan says the system is designed to alert individuals anytime a notary stamp is used for suspicious activity, such as forged signatures or misuse of notary seals.
“These actions can lead to property theft, financial loss, and legal complications,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan says notaries can receive alerts on varying frequencies when a document is recorded with their name as the notary, with the alerts including the document number, type, and parties involved. He says that makes it easier to identify when fraud is occurring.
The service is being provided by Fidlar of Iowa.
Sullivan says there has been a case of fraud within Tazewell County. He says it involved a person from Texas who owned land in Tazewell County, and received an alert that his property was sold. Sullivan says the fraudster was from California, with the notary stamp from New Jersey. He says the money that was involved in the fraud was recovered.
Sullivan says there is no cost to sign up for alerts, and can sign up through the Tazewell County website.
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