A new service called Property Alert has been launched by the Land Registry aimed at anyone who thinks their property could be at risk from fraud.

It comes on the back of a Property Fraud line (0300 006 7030) which the Land Registry launched in February 2013 for anyone who thinks they may be the victim of property fraud. Since its introduction, Land Registry has helped more than 1,000 people who have made contact.

Land Registry’s counter-fraud unit works closely with the police and other agencies to reduce the risk of property fraud. Between September 2009 and January 2014 Land Registry stopped fraud on properties worth more than £62m.

Properties most likely to be at risk from property fraud include empty properties, including those which are the subject of probate, or where the owner lives abroad or is in a care home.

Tenanted properties can also be targets, where a tenant might try to mortgage or sell the property without the owner’s knowledge.

Properties without a mortgage are also at risk. According to Land Registry records nearly half of all registered residential properties are mortgage-free.

Property fraud can happen in many ways, such as fraudsters trying to acquire ownership of a property by using forged documents, or by impersonating the registered owner. The fraudsters may then raise money by mortgaging the property without the owner’s knowledge before disappearing without making repayments, leaving the owner to deal with the consequences.

People can sign up and register up to three properties to be monitored. Email alerts will be sent when Land Registry receives an application to change the register. The most common types of application are to record the sale of a property or a mortgage or other secured loan. Emails will also be sent when official searches are made and this can be done up to 30 days before an application is made.

People can then judge whether or not the activity is suspicious and if they should seek further advice.

A free online account with Land Registry can be set up at http://www.landregistry.gov.uk/propertyalert

People who are not online can sign up for Property Alert by calling 0800 678 1678.

Owners who do not live at the registered property can make a request to enter a restriction for free using the form RQ. This restriction means Land Registry will not register a dealing with your property, such as a transfer or a mortgage, unless a solicitor or other professional conveyancer certifies that they have checked the identity of the person who has signed the deed.

Since the introduction of the RQ form in February 2012, there have been 9,723 applications.