Philadelphia’s Deed Fraud Cases Have Surged 15% This Year

The city of Philadelphia has received 152 reports of deed fraud so far in 2026, almost matching the 159 reports filed by the end of the year in 2025, according to the city’s Department of Records.That puts the city on pace to exceed last year's deed fraud total by roughly 15%. Deed fraud occurs when a scammer illegally transfers a home or property into their name without the rightful owner’s permission.The crime often involves forged signatures and fraudulent documents. Once a document has been recorded, the fraud can go undetected and take years to be corrected.After someone has fraudulently acquired the property, they can sell it, transfer the ownership to yet another person, or take out a mortgage or loan against the property."Deed fraud is going on in a really big way, but there is a small number of cases that are being caught," Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told WCAU-TV.Deed fraud often targets elderly homeowners and owners of multiple properties who aren’t regularly monitoring their filings.“The people who do it are getting inside information that a senior who has owned a house for a long time is ill or has passed away. And then based upon that, they will try t...