SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The City Attorneys' offices of San Diego and San Francisco say they have issued a subpoena for information from a company they allege makes false claims regarding the threat of home title theft, a concept the City Attorneys say is impossible in California.
Home Title Lock claims to provide services that safeguard homeowners from home title theft, in which scammers purportedly can steal homeowners' properties by recording fraudulent title documents.
The City Attorneys say the company targets elderly customers with deceptive advertising and makes "alarmist statements about the prevalence of fraudulently recorded deeds."
In a joint statement released Monday, the City Attorneys say fraudulently recorded titles are void in California and fraudulent title recording is "rare and likely to be quickly discovered."
The City Attorneys also say that Home Title Lock's service merely notifies homeowners when fraudulent deeds are recorded, instead of protecting the homeowners through preventative measures.
"Home Title Lock targets and preys upon elderly Californians whose homes are their chief source of financial security," San Diego City Attorney Mara Elliott said.
"It convinces its customers that they will wind up penniless if they do not invest in services they do not need. Home Title Lock's conduct is not just illegal; it is unconscionable and cruel."
Representatives with Home Title Lock did not respond to requests for comment on the City Attorneys' announcement.
The joint statement does not indicate that Home Title Lock is being prosecuted or sued by the City Attorneys' Offices but rather notes that the subpoenas are being issued as part of an investigation into potential violations of state law.
The subpoena seeks information dating back to 2019 regarding the company's services, advertising, and documentation supporting its claims.
San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu called the company "a scam, plain and simple."
Chiu said, "The company has manufactured a home title theft crisis to stir up fear amongst elderly homeowners and deceive them into buying a service that many local governments provide for free. False identity theft scares, like those created by Home Title Lock, take attention away from important privacy and data security efforts. We are seeking further information to understand how many California homeowners may have been harmed by these misleading advertisements."
