September is REALTOR® Safety Month, and safety in real estate extends beyond personal safety in the field. It also means staying informed about tools and resources that can help REALTORS® and property owners recognize potential fraud.

One free local resource worth knowing about is the Bernalillo County Clerk’s Recording Notification service, which allows individuals to receive email alerts when documents are recorded using a name they choose to monitor.

Get Alerts When Documents Are Recorded

The Bernalillo County Clerk offers Recording Notifications at no cost. Once registered, users can select the name or names they want to monitor. If a document is recorded with the Clerk’s Office using one of those names, they’ll receive an email notification.

The service can provide an additional layer of awareness for property owners by helping them identify unexpected recording activity sooner.

An alert does not necessarily mean fraud has occurred, and the notification service does not prevent a document from being recorded. Instead, it gives users a simple way to stay informed about records filed under the names they are monitoring.

Sign up for Bernalillo County Clerk Recording Notifications

Why Monitoring Property Records Matters

The resource is particularly timely as real estate professionals and property owners face evolving forms of fraud.

In June, the FBI issued a public warning about parcel owner impersonation fraud, a scheme in which criminals pose as legitimate property owners and attempt to sell property without the owner’s knowledge or consent.

According to the FBI, criminals may gather publicly available property information and other personal information to impersonate an owner. They may create fraudulent identification and contact information before approaching real estate professionals or title companies to market and sell the property.

The FBI specifically warns about schemes involving vacant property parcels and encourages property owners to check whether their local county recorder, clerk, or similar office offers a notification service for newly recorded documents.

That makes Bernalillo County’s free Recording Notification service a simple resource local property owners can use to add another layer of awareness.

REALTORS® Can Help Spread the Word

REALTORS® are often a valuable source of information for clients before, during, and long after a transaction. Sharing resources like Recording Notifications can help property owners become more proactive about monitoring activity connected to their property.

The FBI also encourages real estate professionals to remain alert for potential signs of owner impersonation, including sellers who refuse to meet or communicate outside of email or text, pressure to complete a transaction unusually quickly, inconsistencies in identification or documentation, and requests to send proceeds to an account that does not belong to the property owner.

REALTOR® Safety Month is a reminder that creating a safer real estate environment includes protecting people, property, and transactions. Knowing about local tools like Bernalillo County Recording Notifications — and sharing them with clients when appropriate — is one more way to stay informed.

Read the FBI warning: Protect Your Property from Illegal Sales Through Parcel Owner Impersonation