Newsletter Aug 17
- Heather MacGraine OnMyWay Mobile Notary
- Aug 17
- 4 min read
Michigan Deed Fraud Alert!
Have you signed up for deed fraud alerts on your home or other properties?
Deed fraud is a hot topic for the Michigan Notary Association right now, as we tackle this ongoing problem. One woman didn’t lose her home in the end, though still fell victim to a deed theft scam in 2003, so this isn’t a new problem. But after a woman was arrested last year for her part in the theft of 30 homes, it’s clear this is still a problem we’re facing today.
The Michigan Notary Association has compiled a list of counties with deed alert programs, where you can sign up to be alerted if there is any deed activity on your property. It’s not a preventative measure against fraud. But it will help you catch it quickly, so you can get investigators involved as soon as possible.
We always say that notaries are the first line of defense against fraud. So it makes sense for notaries to be leading the charge on this! This is why it’s so important for notaries to be trained on how to check ID, assess competence, and how to decline a notarization when something is amiss. The Michigan Notary Association has taken up responsibility for making Michigan-specific education available to Michigan notaries, to teach us all that and more.
MINA president Leslie Hocker has been volunteering on a national roundtable with Secretaries of State from around the country to help find ways of preventing deed fraud to begin with. Michigan deed clerks aren’t even allowed to refuse to file deed changes they suspect or even know to be fraudulent. I for one am hoping that’s the first change to the law we can make. In the meantime, this deed fraud alert system is something we can do.
In business this week: Washtenaw County Senior Leaders
As some of you know, Senior Notary Care is at the heart of the mission here at On My Way Michigan. During the pandemic, we had a very difficult time getting mobile notaries in for my grandmother’s end of life care. After she passed and I had a lot of time on my hands, my partner (who’s a lawyer) was moving in with me and mentioned that he was also struggling to find mobile notaries who were still in business and doing general notary work in the area. I figured if we were coming from the same place and going to the same place in the same car, there was a safe bet he would be assured his notary would show up.
I knew I could count on my training for checking IDs at bars from my time in the restaurant industry, but I didn’t anticipate just how often my experience as a chef in senior centers would become so valuable. That’s where I learned how to communicate with folks dealing with dementia and Alzheimers, and so many skills I use every day to check for awareness and competence in signers.
So it is my honor and privilege to have joined the Washtenaw County Senior Leaders, which is a community of businesses and services who work with seniors and disabled folks. Among our ranks we have estate planners and senior living facilities managers of course, but we also have senior-friendly IT services to help fix and prevent tech issues when scammers use seniors’ limited tech competence as a way to defraud them. Senior Advisors who match up residential care with those who need it – it’s free to the seniors and families to get advice on where might be a good fit. And folks like the Betty Brigade who help with home clean-outs when it’s time to downsize residences. WCSL is focused on connecting such services so we can all support each other in our work which is so often interconnected.
If you’re looking for senior and disability services in or near Washtenaw county, I highly recommend starting with the WCSL members list first. I have met many of these folks first hand and can attest to their genuine desire to contribute to the safety and happiness of the elders of our communities.
Business Mentoring Update
With third grade starting just next week, summer business mentoring is slowing down. I expect my artistic sidekick will continue joining me for some of my drop-in notary hours, but likely as a last-minute decision with little time to advertise. Be sure to follow the On My Way Michigan events calendar and social media pages to ensure up-to-the-minute information about the Your Neighborhood Helper store pop-ups and drop-in Notary Hours around town.
I continue to assist new notaries via phone calls, small businesses with the B2B supports and marketing materials like my digital downloads store, and will soon be taking over notary education for virtual/online notaries who take the MINA RON basics class.
Poll time!
When is the most beneficial time for a notary drop-in hour? Come vote in the poll!
