LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
LEHIGH ACRES FGCU softball team helps Habitat for Humanity build three homes The Florida Gulf Coast University softball team helped Habitat for Humanity build three homes Saturday.
ESTERO Home Base Golf Tournament helps SWFL Veterans Veterans hit the green at the Copperleaf Golf Course on Saturday. This was part of the Home Base golf tournament.
FORT MYERS At least one person dead after propane truck collides with golf cart Florida Highway Patrol is investigating a crash that has left one person dead and another injured Saturday morning.
Scattered storms ahead for your Saturday plans The Weather Authority is tracking weekend temperatures in the low to mid-90s this weekend with a chance for scattered storms this afternoon.
WINK NEWS SWFL Scoreboard: High School Football Week 3 Thunderstorms tried to put a stop to week three of high school football on Friday Night, but gridiron action prevailed.
Man accused of plotting murder-for-hire denied bond A man suspected of being involved with a murder-for-hire plot will stay behind bars. Ryan Toranzo had his renewed motion to set bond denied today in Collier County Court.
LABELLE Two dead after crash on State Road 80 According to the Florida Highway Patrol, there was a crash on State Road 80 that has left at least one person dead Friday evening.
DeSoto County looks to recruit more teachers While it can sometimes be easy to fill a classroom with students, it is not so easy for teachers. Schools across the nation and locally in Southwest Florida are still dealing with the challenges of teacher shortages. With class back in session, so is teacher recruiting for DeSoto County schools. The assistant superintendent, Jake Reynolds, […]
IMMOKALEE ROAD Push for change after deadly crash on Immokalee Rd. We’re told the woman was driving with two kids in the car when a semi ran a red light and hit her Thursday morning.
FORT MYERS BEACH Mobi-Mats deployed on Fort Myers Beach A walkway to paradise! Brand new and blue, the Mobi-Mat is making things easier for Fort Myers Beachgoers.
NAPLES Women of Steel business conference inspiring and empowering women Focused, hardworking, empowered. These women have made a name for themselves as Women of Steel.
NAPLES Beloved Collier County bus driver retires after 20 years After 20 years of getting kids to school safely, a beloved Collier County bus driver is retiring.
Wade Wilson has new death row mugshot Convicted double-killer Wade Wilson has a new death row mugshot.
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA Sizzle Dining is back in SWFL It’s Sizzle Season! Local restaurants are ready to welcome new faces by offering exclusive menu deals to attract new customers.
Imagine someone pretending to be you and selling your home or land right from underneath you. Deed or property fraud happens more often than you think. Sharon Neuhofer is used to helping people buy and sell their property. She’s a realtor at Coldwell Banker Sunstar Realty. A recent call from someone wanting to sell their empty lot in Punta Gorda Isles raised a red flag. “I started digging a little further and asked him for some driver’s licenses and email addresses to verify that he’s actually the owner because I don’t know this gentleman,” Neuhofer remembered. Normally when Neuhofer asks for driver’s licenses, the fraudsters disappear. But she said this one sent her copies within hours. Still, those alarm bells kept ringing in her head. Realtor Sharon Neuhofer, CREDIT: WINK News “When I researched it a little further, I found out he’s not actually the owner,” she said. “I tracked down the real owner and I called him and I asked him ‘Do you want me to sell your lot in Punta Gorda Isles?’ And he said, ‘No.’ He had no idea what I was talking about. I ruined his day.” Neuhofer filed a police report. She learned the license the person provided was real, but the picture on it was not. This is the first time it’s ever come so close, especially with a driver’s license. Sharon Neuhofer RELATED: Thieves steal and sell French woman’s Southwest Florida property Charlotte County Property Appraiser Paul Polk isn’t surprised by this con game. “They live in one country, the deed is notarized in another country, then it’s processed to a title company in Florida or another state,” Polk said. Charlotte County Property Appraiser Paul Polk talks about deed fraud with WINK News Consumer Reporter Andryanna Sheppard, CREDIT: WINK News Adding to the problem, many of the property owners live in a different state or country. Once a deed is recorded over at the Clerk’s office, it goes to Polk’s office for tax purposes. “We’re just looking to verify that you have the right, based on the names and ownership that we have on record, that that’s who’s transferring the property and the legal description describing the property that’s being transferred,” clarified Polk. He said they processed about 60,000 deeds over the last two years. A small percentage were fraudulent…that they know of. “We’re made aware of that by the property owners a lot of times themselves, contacting us saying, ‘Hey, why didn’t I get my credit tax bill or my Truth in Millage notice in August?'” Polk mentioned. RELATED: SWFL real estate market hit by thieves trying to steal and sell land Karen Murillo is the Associate State Director of Advocacy for AARP Florida. We’re definitely seeing a lot of real estate-related fraud and deed fraud Karen Murillo Murillo said a number of laws were recently passed to help protect property and landowners from deed fraud. “The legislature has been looking at stricter notary law and tightening the requirements for the documentation in order to transfer property.” Every county’s Clerk of Courts office offers a property alert service. You’ll be notified when a deed, mortgage, or other official instrument is recorded in your name at their office. “This helps people detect a lot faster when this is happening,” Murillo added. “When somebody is fraudulently transferring, which hopefully prevents the deed from being processed or, at the very least, provides a quick expedited solution for these homeowners.” And if your property is deeded fraudulently, there’s a new, quicker process to get rid of the phony one. “It’s supposed to be a self-help tool so people can file it on their own without the help of an attorney,” explained Murillo. “As long as they can show that it was fraudulently done, this happens at an expedited process and a much cheaper process than it would ordinarily.” Lot at the center of deed fraud, CREDIT: WINK News Neuhofer turned over every email conversation she had with the fake owner to the police. Even though she was done with the fraudsters, they weren’t done with her. “He actually emailed me to ask what the status of the listing is,” Neuhofer said on the day of the interview. “He emailed me twice today, and I just didn’t know what to say.” There are a few other ways to be more proactive to deed or property fraud. Neuhofer recommends setting up a Google Alert for your address. You’ll be notified anytime your address pops up on the internet. Murillo advices that you keep an eye out for any mail sent to your home with someone else’s name on the envelope. That could be red flag. You can sign up to receive property fraud alerts at the Clerk of Courts link where your property is located below: Lee County Clerk of Court Property Fraud Alert Services Charlotte County Clerk of Court Fraud Alert Collier County Clerk of Court Official Land Records Risk Alert Hendry County Clerk of Court Property Fraud Alert DeSoto County Clerk of Court Property Fraud Alert Glades County Clerk of Court Property Fraud Alert