Palm Beach County Deed Theft Surges 4,500% As Theives Target Seniors!

Palm Beach County deed fraud convictions have jumped from 4 cases in 2023 to 184 in 2025.

The dramatic increase has prompted Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso call deed fraud an epidemic. He predicts his office could see nearly 800 cases this year.

Ekaterini Alexopolous is one of hundreds of Palm Beach County seniors who fell victim to deed theft. Her family has been fighting to reclaim their stolen Boca Raton property for three years. She told WPTV:

“Just thinking about what my family goes through, I become emotional. I came to the point where I cannot deal with this.”

Police say a man forged a family member’s name. He then created a fake driver’s license to obtain the title to land off Boca Raton Boulevard. The deed thief then sold the property for $360,000. This lead to a civil case between the rightful owner and new owner.

The Boca Raton police suspect a Nigerian national as the fraudster. Police say he is also suspected of fraud and theft cases in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. In addition, the report also says federal authorities have the man in custody. However, federal prosecutors have not charged him with any crimes.

Fraudsters use AI to target vulnerable property owners

Palm Beach County Clerk Mike Caruso said criminals are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their approach:

“They’re using AI and different methods and software to find out who owns property, their age, whether they’re over 65 or not, and whether they have a mortgage on the property or not,” 

Property owners over 65 are the primary targets of these schemes. Older homeowners are an easy target for fraudsters. Most seniors don’t regularily check their property rtecords. Thus, it makes it easier to quickly steal and sell land from under owners’ noses. It is also a huge legal challenge to get the property back.

Caruso Launches Palm Beach County Deed Fraud Alert System

In response to the growing crisis, Caruso’s office has launched a free property fraud alert service. The service has already attracted 9,700 property owners to sign up in just six weeks.

Under the program, property owners receive immediate email notifications when someone checks their property deed at the clerk’s office.