Scams & Alerts

The Wakulla County Clerk of Court is dedicated to protecting the citizens of Wakulla County. There are a number of scams that bad people deploy against our citizens and there is no way for us to list all of them as they are changing every day. Listed below are some of the ways that we are able to help you fight against these costly intrusions on our personal lives:

1. Identity Theft – Exemption & Redaction: The Clerk’s Office keeps confidential and sensitive information private. Florida has very strong public record laws and we honor this transparency by providing all available records to the public as requested and as allowed. At the same time, the Florida Statutes ensures privacy of certain confidential and sensitive information and the Clerk’s Office redacts that information from public records requests as required by law.

2. Computer Fraud: There are many types of computer fraud. Visit these links to help you stay aware of common computer fraud techniques:

Recording Activity Notification Service

3. Property & Mortgage Fraud: The Wakulla County Clerk’s Office provides a fraud detection service to protect citizens by monitoring documents that have been presented to our office for recording such as liens, deeds and mortgages. This notification feature does not prevent fraud and only notifies you after the fact that a possible fraudulent document may have already been recorded. By using our Recording Activity Notification Service, anyone can register to receive free alerts when a document is recorded using their name or their business name. When users receive an alert by email, they can verify the activity was initiated by them and not someone attempting to commit fraud. Anyone who believes they are a victim of fraud is urged to contact law enforcement immediately.


Click on the link below and follow the instructions on the page to complete the sign up process.

Sign Up for Recording Activity Notifications

 

4. Misleading Deed Solicitations: Unsolicited, misleading mailings are sent by private companies to property owners offering to supply copies of property deeds and/or an assessment profile from the Property Appraiser’s Office for a large fee. These mailings will often claim to be from or insinuate they are from the Clerk of Court office. I urge all residents to be cautious of private companies trying to sell public records that an be easily obtained online on our website or by coming to the courthouse. These companies often send official looking letters recommending the property owner obtain a copy of their current deed and property assessment profile to provide evidence that the property was in fact transferred to the new owner. These companies often charge $75.00 to $100.00 for a document that the owner can obtain for less than $20.00 at our office. While this practice is not considered fraud, it is misleading and intends to take advantage of unsuspecting citizens.

Sample Misleading Deed Solicitations

5. Court-related schemes: Scammers are now targeting citizens via text messages with several court-related scams such as:

  • Claiming you missed jury duty and owe a fine
  • Claiming you got a traffic ticket and owe a fine
  • Claiming you owe tolls from driving on a toll road
Recommendations:
  • ALWAYS call our office to verify. Even if you did get a ticket, that ticket is a public record and someone may have accessed that public record and may be trying to get you to pay them and not us.
  • NEVER send money via a gift card. And don't use a payment app on your phone without calling our office first to make sure it isn't a scam.
6. Refund Scams: The Fl. Dept of Revenue has reported several types of scams in which bad people claim you have a refund owed to you and ask that you click on a link to claim the refund. Click here for more information: Fl Dept of Revenue Scams

7. *21 Call Forwarding Scam: With this scam, a caller will ask you to press *21 on your phone. This action activates call forwarding which allows the criminal to gain access of your device, intercept critical incoming calls, gain access to one-time passwords or multi-factor authentication codes. No bank employee or authentic vendor employee will ask you to do this. 


Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Recording Activity Notifications service?
It’s a free public service offered by the Wakulla County Clerk’s Office that can help you detect documents recorded with your name in the Clerk’s Official Records that may be fraudulent. If you recorded a document in the official records, you will receive an email allowing you to confirm this activity. If you did not record a document, you will receive an email allowing you to identify possible fraudulent activity.
What does this service monitor?
This service simply monitors the name you choose to subscribe. This name is the only criteria being monitored. It could be a business name, married name, maiden name, and variations of your name. If you have a common name (i.e. Joe Smith), you may get multiple alerts since this system doesn’t distinguish one name from another. If another “Joe Smith” records a legal document related to his property, you will still get an email alert. If you have multiple variations of your name, such as Joe or Joseph, you may want to subscribe with both names in order to monitor both names.
How do I register to receive recording alerts?

Follow the instructions on the page to complete the process.

It is important to note that you must confirm your subscription by clicking on the link emailed to you during the sign up process in order to complete the process.

Why do fraudulent documents get recorded?
The Clerk’s office must record all documents presented to us that meet the requirements outlined in the Florida Statutes. If a document is properly executed and presented with payment, it is the responsibility of the Clerk’s office to record the document. The Clerk’s Office cannot discern between legal and fraudulent documents.
How does this alert work?
Once you sign up for the service you will receive a test email alert, from that day forward, if any document is recorded with your name in the Official Records of Wakulla County you will receive an email alerting you of the activity. The alert you receive by email will contain the document number and type, along with the recorded date and name. Using this information, you can easily search the Clerk’s Official Records to see if the alert pertains to you and whether or not the recording is legitimate.
Can I sign up even if I don’t own property in Wakulla County?
Yes, you can still sign up for the service. There are other types of documents that can be recorded in the official record that do not pertain to real estate that you will be notified of if your name is used.
Does this subscription service alert me of documents being recorded in other counties?
No, this service only alerts its subscribers of documents being recorded in the Wakulla County Official Records. If you own property in another Florida county, you can check with the Clerk of court in that county for similar free notification services in their county.
I received an alert. How can I view the document?
The alert email will provide you with an Official Records (OR) book and page number to view your document in public records. The book and page number is the document number on the email alert.  Click on this link to verify your recorded document: http://wakullaclerk.com/landmarkweb.
What should I do if I determine a fraudulent document has been recorded in my name?

If you believe a fraudulent document has been recorded, please contact our Recording Department. Please note that we cannot simply remove documents from the Official Record without a court order. Once you have confirmed a fraudulent document has been recorded you will need to contact law enforcement and notify them of the fraudulent activity. After contacting law enforcement, legal action may be required through the courts to correct or remove fraudulent documents from the Official Record. 

To find an attorney - click here - The Florida Bar
To contact the State Attorney - click here - State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit > Contact Us > Crawfordville-Wakulla County

DISCLAIMER: Recording Activity Notification Service

The Clerk of Court neither expresses nor implies warrant that the notification service is accurate or correct. The Clerk shall not be liable for any loss, cost, damage, or expense arising directly or indirectly in connection with this service. In no event shall the Clerk be liable for any special or consequential damages or for any indirect damages resulting from the Customer’s use or application of the information accessed as a result of using this service. This service does not protect against fraud or make any claims to; it simply provides notification to the Customer so that the Customer can take prompt legal action to remedy any possible fraud. The Clerk may terminate this service, or any individual subscription, at any time without notification.