If you’ve ever thought about selling your land, you’ve probably wondered:
“How do I know I’m not going to get scammed?”
You’re not the only one that’s afraid their land might be taken.
I wanted to write this guide because there’s a lot of concern out there about land scams. Criminals are getting smarter, and the tactics they use can fool even careful land owners.
You’ll also learn that land scams nearly always target buyers, not sellers.
This guide is here to help you understand the most common scams targeting vacant land, how they work, and what you can do to stay safe.
Table of Contents
Scam #1 – Seller Impersonation
The first scam I’m going to cover targets vacant owners who don’t pay close attention to their land or live out of state.
A scammer searches public county records for vacant lots where the owner might live out of state and there isn’t a mortgage.
Once they find a suitable lot, they gather personal details from public databases to steal the owner’s identity.
They then reach out to land buyers and offer to sell “their” property.
The buyer thinks they’re talking to the real owner and has no idea they’re dealing with a fraudulent seller.
To get the deal closed, the scammer uses forged IDs, falsifies a notarized document, and provides their bank account information for the closing funds.
They sign the deed in the real owner’s name and then collect the proceeds from the sale. You likely won’t even know your land was sold for months or years.
What This Means for Land Owners Like You
A forged deed is legally void since you never signed anything.
But, even a fake deed still gets recorded in the county’s public records. This creates a “cloud” on your title, meaning the official records now show a transfer that never happened.
Cleaning this up requires hiring a real estate attorney to file a Quiet Title Action. This legal process proves you’re the rightful owner and removes the fraudulent deed from the records.
Unfortunately, it takes time and money, even though you did nothing wrong.
This scam targets buyers more than sellers, but knowing how it works helps you catch problems early.
Scam #2 – Deed Theft
This scam is more direct. Instead of pretending to be you, the scammer simply transfers your property into their own name without you knowing.
Here’s how it works.
A scammer creates a fake deed and forges your signature with a notary. They deed the property over to themselves as an owner.
They then file this document with the County Clerk, and just like that, the public records show them as the new owner. Tax bills, mail, and ownership data all start pointing to the scammer instead of you.
Once the deed is recorded, they move fast to sell the property. They list it for sale, find a buyer, close the deal as quickly as possible, and receive the proceeds.
What Makes This Scam Dangerous
Unlike seller impersonation, the county records actually show the scammer as the owner of the land.
They’re not pretending to be you. They have the land in their name.
The first sign of trouble might be when you stop receiving your property tax bill or when someone shows up claiming they own your land.
Like other forged deeds, this one is legally void. But you’ll still need to hire an attorney and go through the Quiet Title process to fix the public records.
The key to stopping this scam is catching it early, before the property gets sold to an unknowing buyer.
Scam #3 – The “Self-Closing” Trap
This is the one scam where the buyer is the criminal and the seller is the target.
A buyer (often a “land investor”) contacts you about your property. Everything seems normal at first. But then they suggest skipping the title company or attorney to “save on closing costs” or “speed things up.”
They send you a deed to sign and notarize and ask you to mail it back to them. They promise to send your check as soon as the paperwork is in their hands.
This is the trap.
Once they have that signed, notarized deed, they can walk into the county office and record it immediately. The public records now show them as the legal owner. And since they have what they wanted, they simply never send the money.
Without a neutral third party holding the deed and the funds, you have no leverage or recourse. You signed over your property, and now you’re left chasing a scammer who’s already disappeared.
How to Protect Yourself
This scam is easy to avoid if you follow one simple rule: never sell your land without using a title company or closing attorney.
A legitimate closing works like this:
- You sign the deed and give it to a title company or attorney.
- The buyer sends their payment to the same title company or attorney.
- The title company holds both until everything is verified, then exchanges them at the same time.
If a buyer refuses to use a title company or pressures you to skip this step, walk away.
No legitimate buyer will ask you to hand over your deed before you get paid.
Scam #4 – Wire Fraud
This scam works differently than the others. It’s a technology crime, and it targets buyers, not sellers.
Hackers break into the email systems of title companies, real estate agents, or attorneys. They quietly monitor incoming messages and wait for a closing to get scheduled.
Right before funds are supposed to transfer, they send an email that looks completely official.
The email looks exactly like the title agent’s email, but the scammer has included wiring instructions to their own bank account, not the title company’s. The formatting, logos, and language all match the real title company.
It’s nearly impossible to spot as fake.
If the buyer sends money to the fraudulent account, it’s gone. The criminals move it overseas within hours and the buyer has lost all of their funds.
From 2015 to 2022, real estate related wire fraud has increased 50 times from $9 million per year to $446 million per year.
Why This Doesn’t Really Affect Sellers
As a seller, you might wonder if this scam could steal your payout. In reality, the risk falls almost entirely on the buyer.
If a buyer’s funds get intercepted before reaching the title company, the closing simply doesn’t happen.
The title company never received the money, so they won’t record the deed or release anything to you.
The deal stalls until the situation gets sorted out.
Buyers also sign wire fraud disclosures before closing, acknowledging this risk. The responsibility to verify wiring instructions falls on whoever is sending the money.
How to Protect Yourself from Wire Fraud
- Never trust emailed changes to banking instructions. If you receive new wiring details, assume it’s fraud until proven otherwise.
- Call to verify using a known phone number. Don’t use the number in the suspicious email. Look up the title company’s number independently and call to verify wiring instructions.
- Confirm verbally before sending any funds. A quick phone call can save tens of thousands of dollars.
- Compare email addresses with wiring instructions. If you receive wiring instructions over email, compare the email address to past email correspondence. Look for small differences like periods or hyphens. A scammer might have an email like title@title-office.com where the real email is title@titleoffice.com.
Title Companies Are Your Best Defense
Every scam I’ve covered has one thing in common: they all fail when a title company or closing attorney is involved.
A title company acts as a neutral third party between you and the buyer.
They hold the buyer’s money and your deed in escrow, and they only exchange them when everything looks good. Neither side has to trust the other because the title company verifies everything first.
How Title Companies Catch Fraud
Title companies are trained to spot scams before property is sold.
Here are the steps they take to protect every transaction:
- Identity verification. They require government-issued ID and often use facial recognition technology or knowledge-based questions to confirm you are who you say you are.
- Confirmation letters to the tax address. They mail verification letters to the address listed in county tax records. If a scammer is impersonating you, they won’t receive this letter. This is why it’s important to check your mail and open all real estate related letters.
- Seller knowledge checks. They ask questions about the property that only the real owner would know, like ownership history, tax payments, or property details.
- Title search and ownership history. They research the chain of ownership to make sure there aren’t any unknown heirs or owners out there.
- Vetted notaries only. Reputable title companies use their own trusted notaries or certified signing services. They won’t let a seller bring in an unknown notary, which is a common tactic scammers use.
Title Insurance: Your Financial Backup
Title insurance is the final layer of protection. If something slips through and a problem with your title is discovered later, title insurance covers the legal costs to fix it.
Without a title company, there’s no neutral party, no verification, and no insurance. That’s exactly what scammers want.
The bottom line: If anyone asks you to skip the title company, that’s your biggest red flag.
Who Is The Actual Target in Land Fraud?
In most land fraud cases, the buyer is the one who gets scammed, not the seller.
In seller impersonation and deed fraud, a criminal pretends to be the owner and tricks a buyer into paying for land that isn’t really theirs. The buyer sends money to purchase the property and ends up with nothing.
What Happens to Each Party?
The real owner ends up with a cloud on their title, which is frustrating and requires legal work with expenses to fix.
But the forged deed is void.
You still own your land, and an attorney can clean up the records through a Quiet Title Action.
The buyer can be in a much worse position. If they sent money directly to a scammer without using a title company, that money is gone.
When a buyer does use a title company and has title insurance, the insurance will cover their financial loss, but the property goes back to the rightful owner.
What This Means for You as a Landowner
If a land investor or buyer reaches out to you about your property, they’re almost certainly legitimate.
Scammers don’t contact real owners.
They impersonate real owners to trick buyers.
As the actual property owner, you’re in a safe position as long as you close through a title company. The verification steps and escrow process protect you from the one scam that does target sellers: the self-closing trap.
The bottom line: You don’t have to worry about a buyer stealing your land unless you agree to skip the title company. With a professional closing, your risk is virtually zero.
Six Steps to Protect Yourself from Land Scams
A few simple habits can protect you from most land fraud.
Monitor Your Property
- Check records yearly. Visit your county assessor’s website and make sure the mailing address and ownership are still your own..
- Sign up for title alerts. Many counties offer free notifications when documents are recorded against your property. Some title companies also offer property monitoring in addition to county services.
- Watch for missing tax bills. If your property tax notice doesn’t arrive, investigate right away.
Keep Your Information Current
- Update your address with the county. If you move or inherit property, make sure tax bills are going somewhere you’ll receive them.
Be Smart When Closing
- Always use a title company. This single step protects you from virtually every type of fraud.
- Never send a signed deed before getting paid. If a buyer asks you to mail the deed first, walk away.
Closing Thoughts
Land scams are real. But they’re also preventable.
Now that you understand how these schemes work, you’re already ahead of most landowners.
- You know that criminals typically target buyers by impersonating sellers.
- You know that forged deeds are legally void, even if they create paperwork headaches.
- And you know that a title company is the single best protection for any land transaction.
If something feels off about a potential buyer, trust your instincts. Legitimate land buyers won’t pressure you to skip normal procedures or rush through a closing.
Your skepticism is an asset. Use it wisely, and your property stays protected.