States’ deed theft protection measures tracked by new tool

EquityProtect has launched the EquityProtect Property Protection Scorecard, a quarterly report tracking deed theft and property title fraud legislation across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The Scorecard classifies each jurisdiction on a five-tier framework ranging from enacted law with criminal penalties to no legislative action.

The FBI reported 58,000 victims of real estate fraud between 2019 and 2023, with $1.3 billion in combined losses. In 2024 alone, 9,359 complaints were filed with $173.6 million in losses.

Sixteen states have no deed-fraud-specific law. Nearly half of all dollar losses from real estate fraud are absorbed by seniors — despite seniors representing just 19% of victims, EquityProtect said.

Reversing a fraudulent title costs victims an average of $50,000 to $150,000 in legal fees. One in three title companies experienced at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in 2024, the company added.

Seven states — Texas, Michigan, New York, Illinois, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma — have enacted what EquityProtect calls “meaningful” deed fraud statutes since 2023.

Eight more states have active bills. But the Scorecard’s central finding is that even the strongest state law cannot stop a fraudulent deed from being recorded.

EquityProtect cited that county recorders process nearly 300,000 documents per day and are legally required to record documents presented in proper form.

“We built the Property Protection Scorecard because homeowners deserve to know exactly how exposed they are — not in general, but in their state and community,” said Ryan Marshall, CEO of EquityProtect. “Our findings reinforce a critical truth: legislation is an important step, but it is not protection. Most laws punish deed theft after it happens — they don’t prevent it.

“That gap is exactly why EquityProtect exists, and why we will publish this Scorecard every quarter to help property owners understand the difference between a law on the books and a lock on their title.”

The full Scorecard is available here.

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