The Senate is adjourned until Nov. 9.

Now, this Wednesday, Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson will sponsor a free seminar for senior citizens on how to avoid being a victim of real estate fraud. The session runs 1-3 p.m. at the Older Persons Commission in Rochester.

As Johnson said in a recent Oakland Press article, "we've had homeowners who have no idea that their home has been bought and sold with fraudulent documents."

She notes seniors are often targeted because their homes have been paid off and there is more gain for criminals.

The problem is serious.

Michigan is on the FBI's list of the top 10 states for mortgage fraud.

In Oakland County, it has ballooned from $9 million in 2003 to $26 million in 2005 for an increase of 141 percent, according to FBI statistics.

Real estate fraud includes everything from forged documents and deeds to predatory lending practices.

The seminar will feature a number of speakers, including Johnson, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, state Rep. Fran Amos, R-Waterford, Toni Chrabot of the FBI's Michigan offi ce, Steve Hagar of the Michigan Mortgage Brokers Association and Phil Seaver of Seaver Title Company, plus representatives from Oakland County's equalization and home improvement divisions.

The legislation targets schemes that include equity skimming, mortgage-related identity theft, and the widespread use of property flipping involving purchasing property and artifi cially infl ating its value through false appraisals.

The county established a mortgage fraud task force earlier this year, and the clerk's office installed cameras in deed recording areas after local cases surfaced where people filed deeds claiming ownership to property that wasn't theirs and then sold the property.

Johnson has said there have been a dozen cases in Oakland County, but the amount of the fraud topped $30 million.

In this day and age when retiring becomes more and more difficult and the cost of living makes it hard for those on fixed incomes to survive, all people, particularly senior citizens, need to do all they can to protect what is probably their largest investment. If their home is paid off, not having a mortgage is a huge relief on a person's pocketbook.

We urge senior citizens to attend the free seminar.

We urge the state Senate not to sit on this vital legislation but rather move swiftly to pass the package of bills concerning mortgage fraud.

And we recommend all homeowners find out more about mortgage fraud and how to protect themselves.

For information about the seminar or to register, call (248) 656-1403. You also may visit the Oakland County Web site at www.oakgov.com/clerkrod.

As the Johnson's office said in the press release announcing the seminar, "There's no place like home - your home."