WIRE FRAUD PREVENTION WARNING.PDF
Here are 10 real estate scams that you need to avoid today:
1. Hackers Stealing Your Down Payment: Mortgage Closing Date
The same scam is exposed with different words by Robert Siciliano, fraud prevention expert with IDTheftSecurity.com.
“A hacker could fool you into thinking he’s your agent and trick you into sending him money, which you’ll never get back. It’s so bad the FTC even sent an alert warning consumers that real estate agents email accounts are getting hacked.”, says Siciliano.
“Let’s say your realtor’s name is Bill Baker. Bill Baker’s e-mail account gets hacked. The hacker observes Baker’s correspondences with his clients—including you. Ahhh, the hacker sees you have an upcoming closing. The hacker, posing as Bill Baker, sends you an e-mail, complete with instructions on where to wire your closing funds. You follow these instructions. But there’s one last step: kissing your money goodbye, as it will disappear into an untraceable abyss overseas. This scam can also target your escrow agent.”
Always verify with your agent and title company before sending money.
2. Real Estate Agents Assigning The Sales To Themselves
“I know a victim of a realtor who is scamming his buyers by taking advantage of sudden traumatic life events”, says Mariko Baerg from Bridgewell Group.
A buyer had purchased a house. Between the time it was a firm deal and the title transfer date he got in a severe car accident and could no longer work for the short term.
The realtor that was representing him had coerced the buyer into assigning the sale to the realtor himself for a discounted price because he fearfully convinced the buyer that he would have difficulties keeping his financing from the lender.
3. Arc Fault Breaker Swap Out Scam
This next fraudulent practice is exposed by Jeff Miller, co-founder of AE Home Group: “Arc fault breaker swap outs are a common scam I’ve seen in the flipping industry. Modern building code requires that electrical boxes contain arc fault breakers as opposed to traditional breakers in order to further prevent electrical fires.
While safer, these arc fault breakers can add upwards of $800 to the cost of the renovation. Following the issuance of a use and occupancy permit, some flippers will return to the home and replace these expensive arc fault breakers with the cheaper traditional breakers, adding profit to their bottom line.”, says Miller.
4. Real Estate News: Bait and Switch Scheme
Another fraudulent real estate practice is the “bait and switch” scheme, explained here by Lucas Machado, President of House Heroes: “The scam occurs when a prospective buyer offers an “above market value” price to a home seller. The seller – blown away by the high offer – excitedly signs on the dotted line.
Sadly, the unscrupulous buyer has no intention to purchase the property at this price.
Once the seller signs the contract, the seller may only sell to that buyer for a specified time (weeks to even months) for the buyer’s purported due diligence. When that time ends, the fraudster asks to extend the contract a few weeks to work out closing details. Sounding reasonable, the seller agrees to the extension blinded by the high offer.”, warns Machado.
5. Duplicated Listings
Leah Slaughter with OmniKey Realty warns about a scam constantly happening in the real estate business: the Duplicated Listings.
“We often see companies copy our legitimate rental listings and post on Craigslist for a much cheaper price. Unfortunately, many people fall for these fake listings and wire or overnight money to the owners of these fake listings and then cannot get access and eventually locate us and all we can do is refer them to the police.”, says Slaughter.
“When searching for a rental, do your research and make sure you are working with a reputable company or a licensed agent/broker. If a landlord says they are not local and cannot give you access to the property, that is an immediate red flag.”
6. Real Estate Lawyers: Fake Profiles
David Reiss from Brooklyn Law School warns about a new type of scam: impersonating real estate lawyers. “In this case, the scammer takes control of the proceeds of a real estate closing by impersonating one of the parties to the closing and redirecting proceeds to an account controlled by him/her. The criminal might impersonate the seller’s lawyer and instruct that the proceeds from the sale be redirected to a new account.”, says Reiss.
“All such changes should be confirmed by a phone call (to a number that you know to be valid!) to confirm that they are from the real seller.”
7. Fake Escrow Service Request
Nina Furseth, Engagement and Corporate Communications Analyst at RentHop shares her advice: “Real estate scams are likely to occur when the rental market begins to tighten around May when students and graduates begin work or school.
Regarding online rental scams, there are several big red flags to look out for such as if:
1. Western Union, Money Gram, or an “escrow service” is involved.
2. Poster is asking you to wire money before you see the apartment.
3. Price is too good to be true.
8. Unlicensed Realtor Scam
The Unlicensed Realtor Scam affects both you and your realtor. Justin Lavelle, who is a Scams Prevention Expert and the Communications Director of BeenVerified, explains:
“In this scam, a so-called realtor sells property to a buyer. However, once a check is written for escrow, an unlicensed realtor deposits the money into their own account and not into the escrow account. Do yourself a favor and vet anyone you’re going to be working with, both your realtor and the one on the other end of the sale. A LinkedIn account doesn’t mean someone is trustworthy or a valid realtor, so do the homework. A person could have been a licensed realtor previously, but may now have an expired license.”, warns Lavelle.
9. Title Fraud
Lavelle also offers information about the title fraud: “This scam steals more than a deposit or fee, it involves identity theft. The scammers will fabricate documents to make it look like they are the property owner. Using these materials, the scammer will take out a new mortgage on the property.
With a secured loan, the false owner can take the cash and then leave the real owner with remaining payments. Prevent this by getting title insurance and safeguarding personal information. Purchasing title insurance offers financial protection from false impersonation and improperly recorded legal documents that a scammer may attempt to forge.”
10. Fake Realtor Sending You For A Viewing
One last real estate scam is brought to you by fraud prevention expert Sorin Mihailovici, producer of the Travel by Dart TV show: “Let’s say you find a property you really like. You phone the realtor who arranges to meet you there. On your way to the apartment, he calls and mentions he had a small accident and won’t be able to make it anymore. However, you shouldn’t worry much because he says the landlord will be there to show you around.
To make it up to you, the realtor promises to negotiate a lower price than what the landlord will give you. “Call me when you leave the house, don’t sign a lease right away,” he says. When you arrive at the house you find many other people interested in renting the same place.