The U.S. Secret Service has observed a sharp increase in reports of real estate fraud associated with vacant and unencumbered property. Criminals are posing as real property owners and through a series of impersonations are negotiating the sale of properties which are vacant or lien free. Criminals are using similar techniques that continue to be deployed in real estate specific Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes, to include open-source research.
For more information, view the U.S. Secret Service Informational Pamphlet.