Office of Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against an Individual Deceptively Soliciting Consumers to Pay for Copies of their Deeds

PHILADELPHIA —Inspector General Amy L. Kurland today announced that the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General filed a civil consumer protection lawsuit against Wanda D. Rogers, who is accused of soliciting private business by misrepresenting a government entity.

The lawsuit was filed following an investigation conducted jointly by the Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General, the Office of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, the Philadelphia Department of Records, and the Philadelphia Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

According to the lawsuit, Rogers sent solicitation letters to new Philadelphia homeowners, offering to forward a copy of the deed upon completion of a form and payment of a processing fee. Some letters bore the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania seal and were signed by two fictional employees of the Philadelphia Deeds and Registry Offices, which is a fictitious government office.

The lawsuit alleges that Rogers violated Consumer Protection Law by deceiving consumers into believing that there is a connection between the letter and the City of Philadelphia.

“The city provides services at no cost to the public, and those services should never be misappropriated for private gain,” said Kurland. “We can’t allow people to take advantage of the public’s trust in government.”

In addition to restitution for consumers, the lawsuit seeks civil penalties of $1,000 for every violation of the Consumer Protection Law, and $3,000 for every violation involving a consumer 60 years old or older.

“As the official responsible for the integrity of the City’s land title records, I take matters like these very seriously,” said James P. Leonard, Commissioner of the Philadelphia Department of Records. “Left unchecked, scams like these can erode the public’s confidence in the City’s deed recording system and often disproportionately affect our most vulnerable citizens.”

The lawsuit was filed by Deputy Attorney General Nicole R. DiTomo of the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Anyone victimized by this scheme can contact the Philadelphia Office of the Inspector General at 215-686-1770, or the Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection Bureau at 1-800-441-2555.