MONROE, CT — Signups for the free Property Fraud Alert system will begin on the town’s website Monday morning.
Town Clerk Vida Stone and First Selectman Terry Rooney launched the system to notify property owners of new transactions regarding their property. This free tool will help them to ensure their assets are protected.
“This is an initiative to protect our citizens from things they may not know they need to be protected from,” Rooney said. “Technology, being the way it is, they may have threats that are invisible.”
“Families that have been here a while will be able to keep an eye on older relatives’ properties,” Stone said.
Participants can sign up for email alerts to be notified whenever a transaction, such as a mortgage quit claim, is recorded under their surname.
To sign up, visit the town’s website, monroect.gov, and go under “News and Announcements” on the homepage to find the link for the Town Clerk’s Office, where you can register for the program.
“People are pushing for it,” Stone said. “We are getting calls constantly. They’re looking forward to this.”
Rooney said he is happy that the program is being well received.
“There’s still some work to do, but this is a big step in protecting the information of our citizens,” he said, “and I’m very thankful to the Town Clerk’s Office and Vida Stone for taking the initiative in, not only presenting this to the community, but working to get it completed and operational.”
The first selectman said he is also grateful to the Town Council for its bipartisan, unanimous vote to approve the $3,000 purchase of the Property Fraud Alert system from the town’s vendor, Avenu Enterprise Solutions LLC.
She said around 15 Connecticut municipalities use the same fraud alert program, adding many land use record vendors offer it.
How to register
“I tested it myself,” Stone said. “It’s very easy to sign up.”
Inside her office last week, Stone sat at her desk and visited the Property Fraud Alert System on her computer. A blue hyperlink on the homepage says, “Register now”.
Following the prompts leads you to a registration form. Required fields include your email address and home phone number and you also have the option to include your work and cellphone numbers.
The next screen asks you to type in the names you want to be notified about. Fields include “Last/Business Name” and “First Name”. Then click add.
“You can add as many names as you want,” Stone said.
You can also click to remove names.
When you’re done, you receive a confirmation email, finishing your setup.
For information, email Town Clerk Vida Stone, [email protected].
All respectful comments with the commenter’s first and last name are welcome.
My thanks to Ms Stone for her proactive steps to provide this tool and the Town Council for its timely approval.