South Coastal Village Volunteers

Beware of deed Fraud

Kimberly Wharton
Local officials in Delaware are warning consumers about a crime that could jeopardize their homes—often their most valuable asset. At issue is deed fraud, which generally involves a criminal impersonating the homeowner and forging documents to transfer property to themselves or someone else. They can then try to sell the home or take out loans against it, all without the real homeowner’s knowledge.

“In Delaware, deed fraud is a growing concern, and homeowners need to take measures to protect themselves,” says Michael Kozikowski Sr., the New Castle County recorder of deeds. To help homeowners spot this type of scam, each of Delaware’s three counties has an alert system that will notify enrolled residents if their deed has been accessed or changed in any way. Kent County Recorder of Deeds Eugenia Thornton says that the alerts are especially important for older adults who have paid off their mortgage. With no lender monitoring the title, it is easier for scammers to make unnoticed changes.

“Citizens over sixty-five with a fully paid mortgage and those who own multiple properties—especially vacant ones—are the most vulnerable to this type of crime,” Thornton notes. Although registering for alerts will not prevent theft, she adds, homeowners’ best bet for mitigating possible damage is to be notified as fast as possible after a crime happens. Thorton says that so far, Kent County has three thousand residents registered for alerts. She is aiming to get 100 percent of residents over sixty-five.

Criminals use various tactics to transfer property titles—from forging signatures on deeds to filing fraudulent documents with county recorders’ offices. Additionally, scammers can list a property for sale using real estate sites and try to sell a property online for cash only.

Other ways Delaware homeowners can protect their property include reviewing county records to make sure all information is accurate. They can also check often on vacant land or unoccupied properties and not let related mail pile up. Additionally, people should disregard letters asking for money to obtain a copy of their deed, because counties provide this information free of charge.

Sussex County Recorder of Deeds Alexandra Reed Baker notes an uptick in the posting of fake home listings by scammers who impersonate homeowners. These scammers fraudulently list homes or land that they don’t own and then contact local realtors. Baker points out that local realtors know that this is happening and remain vigilant. “Usually, it gets caught before it escalates to a contract and then to the settlement table,” she says.

Sign Up for Alerts at the Following Sites:
Kimberley Wharton is the AARP Delaware Communications Director

A Word from the Chair

Every month (or nearly), I have the privilege of attending a meeting with four of the most caring people I know. We meet to talk about our members and how they are doing. We discuss each person, some briefly and others at length.

Summer Traffic is Coming!

As homeowners and businesses begin to prepare for the visitor season, traffic has already increased. Past history tells us that on Fridays during the summer, traffic is gridlocked and our volunteers are busy with house guests and activities. Last year, with your cooperation, we tried to avoid the Friday traffic congestion from June through mid-September.

Cottage Tour Hosts Needed

SCVV is excited to support the South Coastal Library’s 2025 Beach & Bay Cottage Tour. We will be sponsoring one of the seven homes that will be open for in-person tours on July 23 and 24. This is a fantastic opportunity to help raise funds for our local library while also sharing information about SCVV.

Next Dine & Donate

June 2 – Big Fish Grill

Long & Foster is proud to partner with the South Coastal Village Volunteers to help raise funds for this much-needed service to our community. In collaboration with the Big Fish Grill in Ocean View, SCVV will benefit from a Dine & Donate on Monday, June 2, from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Huge Tax Day Turnout

Dine & Donate at Northeast Seafood Kitchen

From the opening at 4:00 p.m. until the last diners at 9:00 p.m. on April 15, Northeast Seafood Kitchen was packed with supporters of the South Coastal Village Volunteers—as well as with other customers looking for a good dinner. Thanks to the generosity of Northeast Seafood in donating a portion of its revenues for the evening, SCVV increased the funds used to support our programs.

SCVV Spreads the Word at the Addy Sea Spring Soiree

The South Coastal Village Volunteers was invited to participate in the Addy Sea’s annual spring benefit for the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Department. This year’s event, held on April 27, marked the third time that SCVV was invited to have an information table.

Sixty Spring/Easter Baskets Delivered

The Sweets and Sunshine Committee gathered on April 8 to make more than sixty spring/Easter baskets for SCVV members. The group included Ferne Cooper, Lori Gentry, Jan Gibson, Michele Bell, Liz Bolton, Melanie Lincoln, and Rosemary Murray. Nancy Main hosted the gathering.

Member Spotlight: Louise Carey

“My dream was always to live at the beach,” muses Louise Carey, who celebrated her 99th birthday in early April. Raised in Wilmington, Delaware, Helen Louise Otto spent her summers with her grandmother in Ventnor, New Jersey.

T-Shirts Are Ready to Wear

This spring you will notice many of our volunteers wearing new SCVV T-shirts and polo shirts, like the one modeled above by Steve Ricks in our Ocean View office.

Pretzels Anyone?

Our member Frannie Moyer stopped by the SCVV office—and dropped off both the heartfelt note at left and enough soft pretzels to feed an army of hungry volunteers! We all thank Frannie for bringing joy. And pretzels.

Volunteer Spotlight: Diane Maddex

Joan Gordon

Over the last year, Diane Maddex has quietly taken over one function of the South Coastal Village Volunteers’ communications after another: posting Facebook notifications, liaising with our website manager, and contributing to and now designing and producing the newsletter.

News from the Development Team

As we welcome spring and plan for a summer filled with opportunities, we are saying farewell to a wonderful member of our Development Team, Karen Taylor. She is moving to Minnesota to be near family.

Helpful Village Software System

Last year we became aware of another system, Helpful Village. Designed by a Village volunteer, it is specifically tailored for Village operations. Many components can benefit our day-to-day work.

Advice for Heart Health

So much depends on our hearts, says Steuart Martens, a national board-certified health coach who also is president of the Village Volunteers board of directors and a regular contributor to our SCVV newsletter.

Toxins Lurking in the Home

Toxins are harmful agents found in the environment, whether the home environment or outdoors. For this article I will focus on personal-care products.

Beware of deed Fraud

Local officials in Delaware are warning consumers about a crime that could jeopardize their homes—often their most valuable asset.