Someone Tried to Sell My Land. Seriously.

Vacant land fraud is real, and it could happen to you. Here’s what happened to me and how you can protect yourself.

I was watching an episode of American Greed recently about a guy selling land he didn't own.

As someone who buys and sells vacant land for a living, obviously it caught my attention.

Unfortunately, I didn't need to watch television to see something like this happen.

Someone recently tried to sell a property that I own.

A couple of Realtors I know contacted me because someone was attempting to list one of my properties. They knew me, checked the public records, saw that I was the owner and immediately called.

So naturally, I contacted the "seller" myself.

I acted interested in buying the property, asked him a few questions and eventually told him who I was.

You know...

The guy who actually owns the land he was trying to sell.

Click.

He hung up.

The next call he received was from the police.

It's kind of funny when you're telling the story afterward. But imagine being a buyer who sent this guy thousands of dollars for property he didn't own.

Not so funny anymore.

This Is Happening More Than You Might Think

Just recently, right here in Central Florida, reality television personality Salomes Jackson, known as "Betty Idol," was arrested in connection with an alleged vacant-land fraud scheme in Volusia County.

According to investigators, the legitimate owners weren't selling their property at all.

Someone allegedly impersonated them using fake identification, and buyers ultimately wired approximately $196,000 believing they were purchasing the property.

Jackson has been charged in connection with the alleged scheme. Of course, the charges are allegations unless and until proven in court.

And this isn't an isolated problem.

The American Land Title Association has reported that vacant land is one of the primary targets of seller-impersonation fraud. Scammers can find an owner's information through public records, impersonate that person and attempt to sell the property without the actual owner ever knowing.

I've even seen another version of this firsthand.

A friend and longtime client of mine previously purchased land from someone who allegedly sold the same property multiple times. She didn't let it go. She pursued the people involved, arrests were eventually made and charges were filed.

My friend, Nancy, is a bit of a pit bull.

Probably not the person you want to scam.

So How Do You Protect Yourself?

You don't need to become a private investigator every time you buy a piece of land, but you should definitely do some homework.

1. Verify the owner through county records. Look at the county assessor and recorder records and determine who actually owns the property.

2. Make sure you're dealing with that person or an authorized representative. A name matching the public records isn't enough by itself anymore. Remember, scammers know how to look up public records too.

3. Search the seller and their company online. How long have they been doing business? Do they have an established website? Reviews? Previous transactions? A real business presence? Ask for references!

4. Talk to the seller. If someone refuses to speak with you on the phone or participate in a video call, I'd want to know why.

5. Be careful when something is dramatically below market value. There are legitimate bargains in land. I sell them myself. But an incredible deal combined with pressure to send money immediately deserves some additional scrutiny.

6. Pay attention to how your money is being handled. Be particularly cautious about last-minute changes to wiring instructions or money being directed somewhere that doesn't make sense.

7. Use title professionals when appropriate. For larger transactions especially, title searches, escrow services and title insurance can provide additional layers of protection.

None of these things individually guarantees that a transaction is legitimate.

Together, however, they make it considerably harder to fool you.

If You Already Own Land, Protect Yourself Too

Buyers aren't the only people who should pay attention. Property owners need to protect themselves as well.

Many county recorder and clerk offices offer a free property fraud alert or recording notification service.

If you own land, go to the county's website and see if you can register your name and/or business name for these alerts.

Once registered, the county can notify you if a document is recorded in the public records using the name you've registered. That gives you an opportunity to investigate quickly if something was filed that you didn't authorize.

It usually only takes a few minutes to sign up, it's often free, and it's one more layer of protection for something you may have spent a lot of money acquiring.

And yes, after someone actually tried to sell one of my properties, you can bet I'm signed up for these alerts myself.

One important note: these programs don't actually prevent someone from attempting fraud, and the exact service varies by county. Think of them as an early-warning system.

If you own land in multiple counties, check each county separately and sign up wherever the service is available.

I'm Not Saying "Only Buy From Me"

That's not the point of this blog.

There are plenty of honest, reputable land sellers out there. I know many of them and do business with them myself.

If I don't have what you're looking for, I'm even happy to refer you to someone I trust.

Of course...

After you look through my inventory first. :)

The point is simply to know who you're doing business with.

That's particularly important if you're purchasing land through owner financing.

A land transaction isn't necessarily one-and-done.

If you purchase a property from me on a land contract, we may be doing business together for five years, ten years or even longer.

Over the years, many of my clients have become friends or, at the very least, people I've gotten to know pretty well.

That's one of my favorite things about this business.

So when you're looking at a piece of land, don't only ask:

"Do I like this property?"

Also ask:

"Who am I buying it from?"

Because if you're going to be doing business together for the next decade, that's a pretty important question.

Do your homework. Verify the ownership. Know who you're dealing with. And if something doesn't feel right, slow down.

There will always be another piece of land.

Until next time,

John Abbott

Abbott Investment Group

Land Ownership Made Simple