What is real estate fraud?
Real estate fraud means using lies or forged papers to profit from property. The FBI splits it into two kinds. "Fraud for profit" uses a scheme to strip a home's equity or borrow against property. "Fraud for housing" is a borrower lying to get a loan for a home to live in.
This guide covers the first kind: scams where someone else takes your home, its value or your sale money. They are uncommon for any one homeowner. But reports are rising, so it helps to know what each one looks like.
lost to real estate fraud in 2025, by at least 12,368 victims who reported it to the FBI
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, via NAR, April 13, 2026
Real estate fraud losses rose 59% in 2025
Losses reported to the FBI, in millions of dollars
Show the numbers
| 2022 | $397M |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $145M |
| 2024 | $173M |
| 2025 | $275M |
| Year | Losses | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $397M | 11,727 |
| 2023 | $145M | 9,521 |
| 2024 | $173M | 9,359 |
| 2025 | $275M | 12,368 |
Source: FBI IC3 annual reports, via NAR. Covers all real estate and rental fraud reported to the FBI, not only the six scams below.
Here are the six scams. Tap one to jump to it.
- Scam 1Deed theft
- Scam 2Fake sellers
- Scam 3Loans in your name
- Scam 4Foreclosure rescue scams
- Scam 5Rental scams
- Scam 6Closing wire fraud
Scam 1 of 6
Deed theft: can someone steal your house with a fake deed?
Yes, on paper. A deed is the legal paper that moves ownership from one person to another. In deed theft, a criminal forges your signature on a new deed and files it with the county recorder, the office that keeps property records. The records then show the criminal as the owner.
Recorders file papers that look complete. They don't check whether a signature is real. With the fake deed on record, the thief can sell the home, borrow against it or move in. Our guide to deed theft walks through each step.
Scam 2 of 6
Fake sellers: can someone sell my house without me knowing?
They can try, and more of them are trying. In seller impersonation fraud, a scammer pretends to be the owner. They hire a real agent, list the property and sign the sale papers with fake ID. The buyer's money goes to the scammer.
Title companies see it often now. In a 2026 study by the American Land Title Association (ALTA), 59% of title firms reported at least one seller impersonation attempt in the past year. In 2024, the figure was 28%.
Vacant land is the top target for fake sellers
Share of title firms that rate each property type as at least somewhat common in seller impersonation fraud
Show the numbers
| Vacant land | 82% |
|---|---|
| Owner lives elsewhere | 72% |
| No mortgage | 68% |
| Owner recently died | 55% |
Source: ALTA 2026 Critical Issues Study, via HousingWire, September 14, 2026
Scam 3 of 6
Loans in your name: can someone take out a mortgage on my house?
Yes, and it often follows a fake deed. Once a thief is the owner on paper, a lender may treat them as the real owner. They borrow against your home, keep the cash and leave the debt tied to your property.
Paid-off homes draw the most interest. With no mortgage, no lender is watching, and there is more value to borrow against. In ALTA's 2026 study, 68% of title firms rated homes owned free and clear as a common target.
Scam 4 of 6
Foreclosure rescue scams: how do they take your home?
They promise to save your home, then take your money or your deed. Foreclosure is when a lender takes a home after missed payments. Scammers find owners who are behind and offer to fix the loan for a fee. Some pose as housing counselors, lawyers or government staff.
The worst versions ask you to sign over your deed. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warns that you are unlikely to get it back. And the deed transfer doesn't move the loan, so you still owe the mortgage.
Scam 5 of 6
Rental scams: can a scammer rent out my home?
Yes, they can advertise it, even though they can't hand over the keys. The FTC says scammers copy the photos and details from a real listing and post them with their own contact information. Renters pay a deposit for a home the scammer doesn't control.
Homes for sale or sitting empty are easy to copy. Their photos are already online. The renters lose money, and you may find strangers at your door.
Scam 6 of 6
Closing wire fraud: how do scammers steal home sale money?
They send fake payment instructions that look real. The FBI calls this business email compromise. A scammer breaks into or copies an email from a title company, lawyer or agent. Then they send new wiring details, and the money goes to the scammer's account.
Sellers are at risk too. A fake message can ask you to send your sale money, or your loan payoff, to the wrong account.
- Look up the phone number yourself. Use the title company's website or your contract, never a number in the email.
- Call before every wire. Confirm the account details out loud with someone you know.
- Treat new details as a red flag. A change sent by email or text is the scam's usual sign. Verify it by phone first.
- Act within hours if money goes astray. Call your bank, ask it to contact the receiving bank, and report it at ic3.gov.
How to spot real estate scams
Each scam leaves a different first clue. This table shows where to look and what to do.
| Scam | First sign | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Deed theft | A county alert, a missing tax bill or a deed letter you don't expect | Check your county record that day |
| Fake sellers | A sale listing or a "sold" sign you didn't put up | Call the listing agent and the county recorder |
| Loans in your name | A loan on your credit report or a bill from a lender you don't know | Call the lender and check your record |
| Foreclosure rescue | A fee up front, or a request to sign over your deed | Stop and call a HUD-approved counselor |
| Rental scams | Strangers say they rented your home | Report the listing and call the police |
| Closing wire fraud | New wiring details by email or text | Call a number you looked up yourself |
Free steps cover most of these. See our six free ways to protect your home title, starting with the free county property fraud alert.
What to do if you think you've been targeted
Move fast, and start with the record. Most of these scams leave a paper trail at your county office or your bank.
- Check your county record. Look for a deed or loan you didn't sign, and print what you find.
- Call your bank right away if you sent money. Ask it to contact the bank that received the wire.
- Report it to the police. Then tell your district attorney or state attorney general.
- File federal reports. Use ic3.gov for online fraud and ReportFraud.ftc.gov for scams.
- Talk to a real estate attorney. Undoing a fake deed or loan usually takes a court order.
Frequently asked questions
What are the two forms of fraud in real estate?
The FBI splits real estate fraud into fraud for profit and fraud for housing. Fraud for profit uses a scheme to strip a home's equity, inflate its value or borrow against it. Fraud for housing is a borrower lying on a loan application to buy a home to live in. The scams in this guide are fraud for profit.
How do you know if a buyer is scamming you?
Be careful if a buyer offers far over your price without seeing the home or pushes you to rush. The biggest red flag is a check for more than the price with a request to send back the difference. That is a fake check scam. The FTC says it can take weeks for a bank to spot a fake check, so never accept one for more than the selling price.
What should you do if you suspect deed fraud?
Look up your property on your county recorder's website and print any deed or loan you didn't sign. Call the recorder's office, then report it to the police and your district attorney. Report online fraud at ic3.gov, and talk to a real estate attorney about undoing the fake deed.
What is home equity theft?
The term usually means a government selling a home over a small tax debt and keeping all the extra money. In Tyler v. Hennepin County (2023), the Supreme Court ruled that keeping the value above the debt breaks the Constitution. People also use the term for scams that strip a home's equity, such as foreclosure rescue scams.
Is Home Title Lock legit?
Home Title Lock is a real company that watches property records and alerts you to changes. The FTC says title lock services are "not a lock at all": they tell you about a fake deed after it's filed and can't stop one. Many counties send the same kind of alert for free.
Check your property record today
Look up your home on your county recorder's website and sign up for its free alert. Then see whether a recorded notice makes sense for your home.
See how Still My Home worksSources
- Online real estate fraud climbed to $275M in 2025, FBI says, National Association of Realtors, April 13, 2026
- FBI efforts to combat mortgage fraud and other financial frauds, testimony of FBI Deputy Director John S. Pistole, April 1, 2009
- Harris County Attorney secures judgment returning 40 properties in forgery scheme, Harris County Attorney's Office, September 4, 2025
- Seller impersonation fraud more than doubled since 2024, HousingWire (ALTA 2026 Critical Issues Study), September 14, 2026
- Attorney General James announces conviction of leader of Queens deed theft ring, New York State Office of the Attorney General, July 12, 2024
- Protect your property from illegal sales through parcel owner impersonation, FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, June 16, 2026
- Attorney General James wins case against notorious deed thief Joseph Makhani, New York State Office of the Attorney General, July 1, 2026
- Home title lock insurance? Not a lock at all, Federal Trade Commission, August 26, 2024
- Mortgage relief scams, Federal Trade Commission, updated December 9, 2025
- Disbarred attorney sentenced to up to seven years in prison for stealing deeds of 11 Brooklyn properties, Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, November 12, 2025
- Rental listing scams, Federal Trade Commission, June 2026
- Thousand Oaks woman pleads guilty in rental fraud scheme, Ventura County District Attorney's Office, July 29, 2025
- Business email compromise, Federal Bureau of Investigation, checked October 13, 2026
- How to spot, avoid, and report fake check scams, Federal Trade Commission, June 2025
- Tyler v. Hennepin County, 598 U.S. 631, U.S. Supreme Court, May 25, 2023 (via Cornell Legal Information Institute)