Seller impersonation can begin with an attractive listing opportunity. Buyer agents have a reason to pay attention, too.

Good afternoon, NREB readers.

As always, we’re here to keep real estate professionals informed while cutting out the fluff. Let’s get right into it.

A seller is easy to work with. They’re comfortable pricing below the competition, prefer cash, and want a quick closing. They’re out of town, but happy to handle the paperwork remotely.

Any one of those details could describe a perfectly legitimate client. Together, especially when the seller resists independent verification, they deserve a closer look.

The property can be real. The ownership record can be real. The person asking you to sell it may be an impostor.

In its 2026 seller impersonation study, the American Land Title Association surveyed 245 title professionals. 59% of firms reported at least one attempted seller impersonation in the previous calendar year.

That is a share of surveyed firms, not a claim that 59% of transactions involve fraud.

Vacant land remained the leading target. Other common targets included properties with absentee owners and properties owned free and clear.

The FBI describes a scheme in which criminals obtain owner information, create false identification, and contact an agent and title company to sell property without the owner’s knowledge.

That explains why a matching name is such weak reassurance. Public records can help you identify the owner of record. They do not establish that the person emailing you is that owner.

By the time a buyer finds the listing, an impostor may already have supplied convincing documents and answered routine questions about the property.

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The North Carolina Real Estate Commission recently addressed this from the buyer agent’s side: a property’s presence in the MLS, or an assurance from the listing agent, should not end the inquiry when suspicious circumstances remain.

Its guidance is directed at North Carolina brokers, whose obligations depend on their state’s rules. But the practical question travels well: How was the seller verified?

“Their name matched the tax record” and “we received a photo of their license” describe checks. Neither, by itself, resolves the possibility of stolen information or fabricated identification.

Buyer agents do not need to become forensic investigators. They do need to pass a concrete concern to their broker and closing professional rather than assume someone else has already resolved it.

A remote seller is not automatically suspicious. Neither is a cash offer or an aggressive price. The concern is the combination of circumstances and the person’s response to reasonable verification.

Pay particular attention when the supposed seller:

A plausible explanation may exist. The next step is to check it independently, not simply accept another document from the same person.

If the facts don’t line up, involve your broker and the title company or closing attorney before the transaction gets further along. Explain exactly what you observed: the unanswered question, changed detail, refused check, or unusual instruction.

Independent contact matters. Nevada’s regulator, drawing on ALTA guidance, recommends contacting the owner through an independently found and validated phone number. The FBI also recommends a certified letter to the owner’s address on the land tax record when purchasing.

Those are verification steps to coordinate with the closing team, not guarantees that a transaction is legitimate. Let that team manage its identity and notarization procedures. Avoid circulating sensitive identification through unnecessary email chains.

If money has already been sent and fraud is suspected, contact the sending financial institution immediately and request its fraud-response process and a recall or reversal. Notify the broker and closing team, preserve communications, and report to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center and appropriate law enforcement. Recovery is not guaranteed, and waiting for a complete explanation can waste valuable time.

Ask: If a seller’s identity doesn’t add up, who do we contact, and what happens before any money moves?

Having an answer before a questionable listing arrives is far more useful than debating responsibility once everyone is working toward a closing date.

An eager seller can be a welcome client. The eagerness should never do the work of verification.

Sources

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