Recorder warns county residents about potential scam

Franklin County Auditor Toni Wilkinson issued a warning to local residents Wednesday about a possible mail scam regarding property deed documents.

The letter, sent by Record Transfer Services of Westlake Village, Calif., suggests property owners obtain a “current grant deed” and “property assessment profile” from the company for $83. Wilkinson said the letter was bogus, and explained property deed documents can be obtained from her office for a nominal fee.

She also said she had never heard of the term “current grant deed” used in Iowa before, which only furthered her suspicions that the letter was a fraud.

“People can get copies of their property transfer documents from us for 50 cents,” Wilkinson said. “They can get that any time.”

An online search for Record Transfer Services yielded numerous news articles warning readers about the business. An unnamed receptionist with company offered a brief statement when the Chronicle called inquiring about its services.

“If you don’t need the service you can throw the letter away,” the person said.

Wilkinson suggested local property owners do just that, and also encouraged them to read the entire letter if they receive it. Record Transfer Services is not associated with any governmental agency and hasn’t been approved or endorsed by one, either.

“This is not a bill. This is a solicitation; you are under no obligation to pay the amount stated unless you accept this offer,” the letter states.

The recorder’s office was first made aware of the letter this winter and has five confirmed reports from local residents who’ve received it during the past six months. However, Wilkinson expected many more letters have been sent to Franklin County landowners recently.

“It seems the majority of the ones we know of just had a transfer of property, but there were others that hadn’t,” she said.

Wilkinson suspected Record Transfer Services obtained the property information from online databases, which are available to the public. All of the services the company claims to provide are available at the Franklin County Courthouse by visiting the assessor, auditor, recorder, treasure or GIS offices.

If you’re unable to visit the courthouse and would still like information regarding your property, you can request the documents be faxed or sent via postal service for a small fee.

“We have those requests all the time,” Wilkinson said.