Quick Summary
- Seller impersonation attempts have roughly doubled: In ALTA’s 2026 survey reported by Florida Realtors, 59% of title professionals said their firms saw at least one attempt in the prior year, up from 28% in 2024, and vacant land was the most commonly identified target.
- The red flags are consistent: A seller who avoids phone and video contact, wants a mail-away signing with a notary of their choosing, presses for a fast cash closing, or prices well below market should prompt extra scrutiny before anyone moves forward.
- Verification is a shared job: Listing agents are often the first to hear from a fake seller, and independent contact with the owner of record, combined with the title company’s identity checks, is what stops these schemes before money changes hands.
Seller impersonation fraud happens when someone poses as the owner of a property, usually vacant land or a home the real owner rarely visits, and tries to sell it out from under them. The scheme depends on moving fast and avoiding anyone who might check. The best defense is verification at every step: the listing agent confirming the seller through contact information the agent finds independently, and the title company confirming the seller’s identity before closing. With snowbird season starting and absentee ownership common across Collier and Lee counties, we want every agent we work with to recognize the warning signs early.
Why Vacant Land Is the Top Target for Seller Impersonation
According to the American Land Title Association’s 2026 survey, reported by Florida Realtors in September, vacant land was the property type most often identified as a target, with 82% of respondents rating it at least a somewhat common one. Vacation homes and rental properties followed, and absentee-owned properties, homes without a mortgage, and properties whose owner recently died were also singled out.
The reasons are practical. A vacant lot has no occupant to notice a for-sale sign or a surveyor. A property with no mortgage has no lender monitoring the title. An owner who lives out of state, or who spends half the year somewhere else, may not see a listing until it has already sold. As the FBI has explained, fraudsters often contact many agents at once, hoping one listing leads to a sale, and favor cash deals because they get less scrutiny than financed ones.
Why Southwest Florida Is Especially Exposed
Few markets fit the profile as closely as ours. Lehigh Acres, Cape Coral and Golden Gate Estates contain thousands of platted residential lots, many owned for years by people who live elsewhere and have never built. Naples, Bonita Springs and Marco Island have a large share of seasonal owners, and many of their homes are owned free and clear. Fraudsters can find owner names, mailing addresses and parcel details in public property appraiser records, which is exactly why a seller’s knowledge of the property is not proof of ownership.
County customs add another wrinkle. In Lee County, the seller customarily chooses the title company, while in Collier County the buyer customarily does. That means in Lee County, a fake seller may try to steer the transaction to a title or closing provider of their choosing, and the listing agent is in the best position to notice that pressure.
Red Flags Listing Agents Should Watch For
The warning signs ALTA and the FBI describe tend to appear together. The seller communicates only by text or email and avoids phone calls, video calls and in-person meetings, often citing travel, work overseas or a health issue. The seller asks to sign remotely through a mail-away closing and wants to use a notary they arrange themselves. The seller wants a fast, all-cash sale and is willing to accept a price well below market value, sometimes suggesting a list price that seems to be designed to sell within days.
Other details deserve attention too. Contact information that does not match the mailing address in the property appraiser’s records, an email address that looks hastily created, a reluctance to answer questions about the property’s history, and a request that sale proceeds be wired to an account in a name other than the owner’s are all reasons to slow down. No single sign proves fraud, since real sellers travel and real sellers sometimes want speed, but a combination of them should prompt independent verification before the listing goes live.
How Listing Agents Can Verify a Seller
The most effective step is contacting the owner through information the agent finds independently, not through the phone number or email the seller supplied. The FBI recommends asking for more than a single identification document, independently verifying phone numbers and other contact details, and sending a certified letter to the owner’s mailing address on the tax record. A real owner will generally receive that letter and respond; an impersonator will not.
Agents can also compare the seller’s story with public records, such as the property appraiser’s ownership history and the official records maintained by the clerk of court. When something does not add up, involving the title company early is far better than discovering a problem at closing. If an agent suspects fraud, it should be reported to the FBI through IC3.gov or tips.fbi.gov and to local law enforcement.
How Sellers Are Verified Before Closing
Title companies verify the identity of the people signing closing documents, and as these schemes have grown, so has the industry’s verification. ALTA’s survey found that 94% of firms now use multiple fraud-detection tools, such as identity verification, direct contact with the seller and multifactor authentication. At Paradise Coast Title, we treat seller verification as part of every closing, and we apply additional scrutiny when a transaction matches the patterns described above. We do not publish the specifics of how we verify sellers, because detailed descriptions are useful to the people these checks are designed to stop.
What agents can expect is that verification may take a little longer when a seller is remote or a property fits the high-risk profile, and that we may ask for information beyond a copy of a driver’s license. Building that time into the contract, and letting sellers know verification is standard practice, keeps legitimate deals on schedule.
What Property Owners Can Do to Protect Themselves
Every Florida clerk of court is required to offer a free recording notification service that emails registered owners within 24 hours when a deed, mortgage or other land record is recorded under their name or parcel number. The Collier County Clerk calls its version the Risk Alert Notification service, and the Lee County Clerk offers a property fraud alert. Agents who represent owners of vacant land or seasonal property can provide real value by suggesting that clients register. Owners who discover that a fraudulent deed has already been recorded should talk with a real estate attorney promptly about the legal remedies available to restore title.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is seller impersonation fraud?
Seller impersonation fraud occurs when someone poses as a property’s owner and attempts to sell or borrow against it without the real owner’s knowledge. The scheme most often targets vacant land, vacation homes, rental properties and other properties whose owners are absent.
What are the most common red flags of a fake seller?
Common red flags include a seller who avoids phone, video or in-person contact, requests a mail-away signing with a notary of their choosing, pushes for a fast all-cash closing, and prices the property well below market value. Contact details that do not match public records are another warning sign.
How can a real estate agent verify that a seller owns the property?
Agents can contact the owner using information they find independently rather than details the seller provides, ask for more than one form of identification, compare the seller’s information with property appraiser and clerk records, and send a certified letter to the owner’s address on the tax record.
Who should be contacted if seller impersonation is suspected?
Suspected fraud should be reported to the FBI at IC3.gov or tips.fbi.gov and to local law enforcement. The title company handling the transaction should also be told right away so it can stop the closing.
How can Florida property owners get alerts about deeds recorded on their property?
Florida clerks of court offer a free recording notification service that sends an email within 24 hours when a land record is recorded under a registered name or parcel number. Owners can sign up through their county clerk’s website.