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Tampa Bay hotbed for property fraud
Gloria Gomez reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Officials say Hillsborough County is a hotbed for property crime with the FBI ranking the area as third in the nation. Usually, the elderly and residents who have passed away are targeted the most.
Hillsborough County Clerk of Court and Comptroller Cindy Stuart held a press conference to inform the public about the rise in property crime. Stuart offered a homeowner a tool to save their homes and many took action.
"We were super excited about the numbers. Kind of surprised for how high they went the day and that week, but it’s great news," said Stuart.
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The program alerts residents within 48 hours of when their name and property are being used without their permission.
The clerk's office even shared bodycam video recently of deputies arresting James Fahlman after he was found hiding in a closet. He now faces several charges that include, property fraud and grand theft, felony charges that could send him away for decades if convicted.
The clerk's office is also teaming up with the Tampa Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies in sharing valuable information in combating property crime.
Stuart said criminals prey on those with vacant properties, especially elderly people who aren't in town or at their property all the time.
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The clerk's website makes it easy to sign up, and you can even do it on your cell phone.
After hearing about it last month, people took action, bringing in big numbers. For instance in Hillsborough County the clerk's office said they had 691 subscriptions in June 2023 and spiked to 9,929 in July 2023.
And the numbers in neighboring counties were impressive as well. In Pasco County, the clerk's office reported that they went from 213 sign-ups in June to 2,896 in July. At the clerk's office in Pinellas County they had 993 sign-ups and that number jumped to 3,248 in July.
The Hillsborough clerk reminds people it takes less than five minutes to subscribe, but says it will save you years of anguish and legal fees.
Stuart says her office is also reaching out to homeowners associations in Hillsborough County to share the alert program and continue to spread the word.