Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Marina Camacho outlines planned property fraud alert tied to state bill

Assessor-Clerk-Recorder Marina Camacho said Monterey County is working to implement a property fraud notification program prompted by recently mentioned state legislation (transcript reference: "s b 2 55") that requires recorders to notify prior owners when certain documents are recorded.

The program would require the recorder to send a notification letter within 30 days of the recording to the prior address of record and include the first two pages of the recorded instrument so recipients can inspect the filing, Camacho said. "The recorder is required to send a notification letter within 30 days from the date of the recording," she said, adding the notice is intended to confirm whether the prior owner actually authorized the recording.

Camacho said the notices would apply to documents commonly used in conveyances — recorded deeds, quitclaim deeds, mortgages and deeds of trust — and would provide an opportunity for people who did not authorize a recording to contact the district attorney's fraud division. She cautioned that details such as whether a small fee will be charged are still under development and that the program would require approval by the Board of Supervisors before any fee is collected.

The assessor/recorder's office does not itself track fraud referrals, Camacho said; those are handled by the district attorney. "For fiscal year 24-25, the DA received 22 real estate fraud referrals," she said, adding several of those referrals resulted in felony charges. Camacho described an ongoing partnership with the DA's office to assist investigations and to provide records support when prosecutors request information.

Until the county's notification program is in place, Camacho advised residents who suspect a recording affecting their property to either visit the recorder's office to research recorded documents or contact the assessor's office for the latest ownership records. "If they detect that something was recorded, then definitely they can contact the DA at the fraud division," she said.

Camacho delivered the overview in both English and Spanish and said staff hope to implement the program before the bill's effective date. The county has not specified a launch date or the amount of any potential fee; those details will be finalized during program design and brought to the Board of Supervisors for approval.