Residents of Allegheny County are being encouraged to enroll in a free fraud alert system, after investigators uncovered a property transfer scheme involving forged documents targeting dozens of residential properties, most of which are located in the South Side.
On Monday, the County Executive’s office said residents can help protect themselves by enrolling in Property Fraud Alert, a service from the Division of Real Estate that allows owners to receive notifications any time a document is recorded using their name as grantor or grantee.
The warning follows the arrests of two South Side men, William Joseph Schneider, 45, and William Petruskie, 57, who were charged with theft and criminal conspiracy and other offenses in July. Police said the men used forged paperwork and fraudulent notary stamps in an attempt to take control of 43 properties without the homeowners knowing…