What is Moat

Unfortunately, we live in a society that includes numerous scams and frauds involving identity theft. We have all probably received notice from a credit card company, bank or credit agency that our most sensitive data has been compromised. Some of us have had to close credit cards or bank accounts that became compromised with fraudulent transactions. It’s a painful process that leaves us feeling vulnerable and violated.
Identity theft is real and despite our best efforts to keep our data secure it seems that the bad guys are always coming up with new ways to attack our identities and wreak havoc on our credit and our lives.

Over the last few years, the bad guys have come up with a new scam to attack our identity targeting the very homes we live in. This identity scam involves researching the current owner of a house or other piece of real property in the public records and placing fraudulent deeds and other documents in your title in an attempt to steal both your identity and your property.

Over the last few years, the bad guys have come up with a new scam to attack our identity targeting the very homes we live in.  This identity scam involves researching the current owner of a house or other piece of real property in the public records (usually the county or parish where the property is located).The bad guys then prepare and record a fraudulent deed in the public records by essentially pretending to be the homeowner of record, preparing a fraudulent deed such as a Quick Claim Deed with the actual owner’s name and simply signing the document themselves and recording the document evidencing that, guess what, the actual owner just conveyed their home or property in the public records to a thief.  The next step they take is to layer on one or more fraudulent mortgages against the property as the new owners of the property and with that step, they have cash representing your equity in the home and they are gone.  Unbelievable the lengths these folks will go to rob, cheat and steal but when you think about it, this scam doesn’t require your sensitive personal information and has the potential to be much more lucrative to a thief than a credit card scam.

Moat Title Security is a solid defense to this scam.  As a client of Moat, you will have a blocking document (the Lock) prepared by Moat and placed in the public records to both deter potential thieves from targeting your home as well as providing public notice that you will not convey any interest in or otherwise encumber your property interests without first recording a document also built by Moat that confirms your identity and intent (the Unlock).  The locking document is a clear notice to the public that your title is locked and any attempt to record a conveyance or an encumbrance without first recording the unlocking document is fraudulent.  It’s like having a moat around your home that only you can lower the drawbridge across to allow safe and legal conveyances and encumbrances.

So, who needs Moat?  Frankly, anyone with an owned property that is concerned about title theft can benefit from having their title secured by Moat.  But if you narrow it down a little it could be argued, at least from a thief’s standpoint, that the softer targets include elderly homeowners who likely have more equity in more expensive homes as well as just homeowners with more expensive homes and with lower mortgages.  Think about it – if I am going to run this scam why not attack the most vulnerable parties with the most equity to steal.

There is more information about Moat and title theft on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page and the News page.  For more detail on the Moat Lock and Unlock services please visit the Services page.