Real Estate Scams

One of the largest industries in existence is the buying and selling of real estate, and annual losses in real estate scams worldwide add up to billions of dollars lost. If buying or selling a house, commercial property, or land, you need to be careful to avoid falling victim to one. 

Real estate investment seminar scams, promising a formula for getting rich in real estate if only one invests, are common during both boom and bust cycles in the real estate market. 

Also, be sure to watch for real estate email scams in your inbox. 

 

Real Estate Scams: List Below

Other common real estate scams include fraudulent listings, such as pictures and descriptions that aren’t of the property that is being advertised for sale. 

Be careful in real estate dealings. Keep an eye on this page to learn about real estate scams as they emerge, and know how to spot them coming. See below:

References for Rental

How the scam works: After searching for a property to rent, you find one and are asked to sign a contract and put down a deposit. Somewhere at the end of the contract, in very small print, the scammers add: “The deposit will not be returned if the references are not satisfactory” (or that it will […]

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Rent-to-Own Homes Scheme

Rent-To-Buy Scam: How It Works (with video below) There have been a plethora of home buying scams exposed by authorities and our platform in the last few years. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem the trend is stopping any time soon. Although it may sound like a good idea, be aware of the Rent-To-Own Homes scheme (aka […]

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How To Stop Foreclosure

How the scam works: (with video below) Let's say you're in a situation where the bank is on the verge of foreclosing your home. You're frantically searching for ways to refinance so the payments are affordable, and they're off your back. Luckily, you stumble upon a foreclosure expert company on the Internet. You contact them, […]

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Foreign Property Investment

How the scam works: You are interested in buying a property or a land in a different country and start looking for places. Finding a great investment opportunity to build a house, let's say, in Bulgaria, you even come across an established developer. Upon researching his portfolio, everything looks good and trustworthy, because it genuinely […]

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Loan Modification

How the scam works: (with video below) With the recent recession, loan modifications have become a very popular way for people to make their mortgage payments a little more manageable. Unfortunately, this creates yet another way for ruthless people to help you part with your money. Let's say you're struggling to pay all your bills […]

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Loan Moved to New Company

How the scam works: Scammers use phony letterheads, sending letters to loan borrowers stating the bank handed over the responsibility for servicing their home loans to another company. This was the case with Bank of America customers being informed that their home loans were moved to Great Western Business Services, a phony group created by […]

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Mexican Property Manager

How the scam works: You have just bought a small house in Mexico as an investment property. You can’t be there every month, maybe not even every year, so it is necessary to hire somebody local to take care of it. Whomever you decide upon, whether a property manager or somebody presenting themselves as the administrator of a […]

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Forensic Audit For Your Mortgage

How the scam works: Watch out for the Forensic Audit For Your Mortgage scam, happening these days. Let's say you are in a terrible financial position and it's a massive struggle for you to keep your home out of foreclosure. One day, you receive an email from a company who offers to check your loan documents […]

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Fake Landlord Renting Property

How the scam works: (with video below) With many foreclosures in the last few years, there are tons of properties that are lying empty. Scammers find these empty places, change the locks, and place an ad online or in the newspapers in the same day, representing themselves as the landlords offering the place for rent. […]

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