Liberty Hill property owner latest victim in seller impersonation fraud
Property owners beware of land scam
If you own or are looking to buy land in Central Texas, scammers may be targeting you. More and more often, crooks are impersonating property owners, and trying to sell their land as if it's their own.
LIBERTY HILL, Texas - If you own or are looking to buy land in Central Texas, scammers may be targeting you.
More and more often, crooks are impersonating property owners, and trying to sell their land as if it's their own.
A property owner in Liberty Hill realized a scammer had actually listed his property.
Thankfully, his agent caught it in time, but this is something realtors say is becoming a real problem, particularly for owners who don't actually live on the property.
Seller impersonation fraud
The backstory:
The owner of a property off County Road 284 in Liberty Hill was in for a big surprise when he went to list the property through EXP Realty.
"One of my co-workers went out there, and she saw that somebody else had the property listed," said Jamie Church, an agent with EXP Realty. "And she checked to see who was the owner."
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- Beware of 'title pirates' wreaking havoc on Central Texas landowners
- Seller impersonation fraud: What Texas realtors, property owners should know
It turns out a scammer was trying to sell the property, impersonating the real owner, who didn't want us to identify him.
"She went through all the paperwork and then found out that somebody else had a fake passport. It was pretty intense," said Church.
Thankfully, it was caught before any transaction was able to proceed.
"I think the owner was extremely scared. I mean, the fact that someone can go out there and impersonate an owner, " said Church.
Dig deeper:
Victoria Feather of Capital Title Company of Texas says these scams have been much more common over the past two years or so.
"Criminals are impersonating sellers, whether they're creating a fake ID or a fake passport as was in this instance. But they're impersonating someone to sell their land in a scheme to get paid," said Feather.
Last summer, 7 On Your Side told you about Austin realtor Manny Arce. Arce was contacted by a man who said his name was Joe Grasso, who wanted to sell his lot, and fast. So Arce showed up at the property.
Beware of 'title pirates' in Central Texas
A scam targeting landowners appears to be happening in the Austin area. The scammers are called 'title pirates' and are targeting landowners.
"I was like, 'hey, I'm looking for Joe Grasso'. And she's like, 'that's my husband. And who are you'?" said Arce.
Turns out, the real Joe Grasso wasn't looking to sell at all, but a crook pretending to be him was.
"There was a lot of information there that made it sound like or made it seem like it was me," said Grasso.
Feather says these scams can be hard to detect, even for realtors.
"Sometimes neither agent knows that it's a fraudulent transaction, and it's uncovered at the title company," said Feather. "Sometimes they get all the way to closing, and we're looking at the documents that run through the title company and say, hey, these signatures don't match, or this driver's license isn't valid."
Why you should care:
Experts say it's key to have a realtor if you are buying or selling, work with a trusted title company, and watch for red flags.
"Be cautious if you are a for sale by owner and somebody is telling you that they're a cash buyer," said Church.
"If it's a deal that sounds too good to be true on a cash transaction, in this day and age, it probably is," said Feather.
If you don't live on your property, it's so important to keep an eye out.
"Check with your neighbors, have them keep an extra eye, spend $100 and get a little ring camera so that you're aware, and you can monitor your property," said Church.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak