01/16/2026
FRAUD ALERT!!
Hey friends and agents! We had a situation today we want to make you aware of if you are a property owner! A scammer contacted a local realtor and impersonated an elderly out of state man who was attempting to list and sell his property to pay for pending medical bills. The property was actively listed, went under contract, and I had already finished the title search in preparation for closing. Some red flags went off as we were tying up loose ends to send him seller docs (weird email address, lots of misspellings, would only communicate on text, very aggravated when we advised we would not wire his proceeds, agent said he was in a rush to list/sell the property, etc). He even produced a fake Florida ID that we believe was generated using Chat GBT/AI.
Please be on the lookout for seller-imposter and wire fraud! It is a real thing and we have experienced both.
High risk scenarios are: heirs’ property, vacant lots, second homes where people do not frequently visit, high stress and distracted times like the holidays!
What you can do: (1) If you live out of state, have a neighbor make you aware of any suspicious activity on the property (listing signs, showings). (2) Purchase title insurance with fraud coverage! There are now Altas we can order that give specific coverage for fraud on your policy. (3) Sign up for the Fraud Alert Notification System at the register of deeds office in the county where any and all of your property is located. Agents, we encourage you to verify identity as much as possible on the front end and definitely let us know if something feels off!
I am so thankful to my paralegal Katrina for staying alert, focused, and on the lookout for this. We want to cut checks ONLY to the people who are entitled to the money. Stay safe y’all and have a great weekend!!
