The C.A.R. Legal Hotline has received several calls from listing agents who, after taking a listing on vacant land, have become suspicious that the person who signed their listing is not the actual owner. This aligns with a nationwide trend of title companies reporting that vacant land property scams are on the rise.
In this scam, the “owner” is not actually the owner at all but instead is an identity theft criminal. The criminal poses as the owner of vacant land and, taking advantage of e-notaries and online communications, attempts to defraud the actual owner, the buyer and every service provider involved by selling the property under market with an exceptionally quick escrow and pocketing the proceeds.
Click the link below to learn the tell-tale signs and red flags of the vacant land property scam. Read More