There is a rising trend of fraudulent land & property sale attempts occurring throughout central Ohio. As REALTORS®, they target YOU to get their fraudulent listing into the MLS. Here are three things you can do to protect yourself and the consumers.
Know Your Customer. Typically, these scammers will not meet in person or via a video call. They prefer to communicate via text or WhatsApp—demand to see their face and verify their identity. If they are willing to sell fast and below market value, this is also a typical red flag. They may produce identification, which can look very official, along with deeds and other documents.
Many of these leads are coming through various well-known, mainstream real estate portals. Typically, the land or house attempting to be “sold “does not have a mortgage or a lien. Utilize MLS tools such as Realist to verify the owner. Remember, if it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
