How to Protect Yourself From Vacant Land Scams

I get daily news alerts about vacant land scams, and a recent case I saw involved a landowner who owned land near Rochester in Upstate New York, but lived in Texas. He owned it for 40 years, and one day, planned to build a retirement home on it – at least he did until he got the letter in the mail from the Wayne County Clerk notifying him that his land had been “sold” without his knowledge.

It turned out that a scammer impersonated the owner and listed the property for sale with an unwitting agent. They found a buyer and forged a notary’s signature on a deed to get paid. While the rightful owner will eventually get the title to his land back, it will cost him thousands of dollars in legal expenses and a lot of time. And while he works on clearing his title, won’t be able to sell or get a loan on the stolen land.

Just imagine what it would be like to open a letter to find out that your land is being sold without your knowledge. Think about the red tape, wasted time, and stress, fearing that it could happen to you. Don’t fall victim to land fraud. Taking a few minutes to learn about title fraud can protect your vacant property and your peace of mind.

What is title theft?

Title fraud is an umbrella term for a type of serious crime that affects your property ownership rights. The two primary types of title fraud against landowners are:

1. Deed fraud is when a criminal creates a fraudulent deed to sell your property.
2. Mortgage fraud occurs when criminals use fake documents to borrow against your land.

Because there are already plenty of articles covering home title theft, we will address property deed fraud, particularly as it relates to land, along with steps landowners can take in order to prevent it.

How deed fraud works

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center warns that losses from real estate and rental scams are steadily increasing – with 17% of title companies reporting that they sent money to incorrect accounts due to fraud in 2024, and 54% of real estate professionals surveyed by CertifID reported they had experienced at least one fraud attempt in the prior six months.

• Deed thieves look for vacant land targets by going through public records and tax rolls.
• Fraudsters create fake listings using stolen photos and descriptions to lure buyers into making payments for nonexistent properties.
• They find a real estate agent who will list it for them, or they list it themselves (the fake property owner) as for sale by owner (FSBO)
• Once they have it under contract to sell, they use fake identification and forge signatures and notary stamps on the deed. Sometimes the notary is even in on the scam.
• The title company or attorney records the deed with the county clerk’s office.
• The scammer gets paid the funds by the title company, and after stealing land, is never heard from again.

There are variations of the scam, but the consistent theme is that scammers look for the easiest targets for a fraudulent sale- often vacant land with absentee owners.

What are the consequences if deed theft happens?

Deed fraud occurs when criminals record fraudulent deeds, mortgages or other liens against a property without the owner’s knowledge or consent.

• It can cost the real property owner thousands in legal fees to prove your ownership and file a quiet title action (to “quiet” or resolve any claims against the property).
• It takes months to get the quiet title completed – preventing you from selling your property or getting a loan on it.
• The longer the fraud goes undiscovered, the more difficult and costly it is to resolve.

Important steps to protect your vacant land’s title

Scammers stealing land most often happens with vacant land owned by absentee owners – which made up 62% of fraud cases last year, per the 2025 NAR survey on deed and title fraud. This makes sense; no one lives on it who might get suspicious. No one is suspicious when strangers visit, and even if the neighbors do notice, they often don’t think anything of it since they don’t know the landowner who lives hundreds of miles away.

You can’t completely prevent deed fraud, but effective title fraud protection can help you detect and resolve it quickly. States and counties are also taking steps to provide better tools to fight fraud as well.

Sign up for property fraud alerts

Property owners can protect themselves from deed fraud by creating alerts for their property on real estate websites. Most county clerks now offer free notification alerts for property owners when property documents are filed on a parcel or recorded on their property. While these alerts won’t stop fraud from occurring , it gives you early notice so you can report it and respond faster – which is super important to minimize the damage done and reduce the costs to clear your title.

Per the National Association of Realtors, a handful of states (Indiana, South Carolina and Arizona) are implementing a property title freeze system that acts similar to a credit freeze, but this is still early and information on these services are scarce.

Mark your territory

Make sure that anyone visiting your property knows that you own it, and how to get in touch with the real owner. When an agent or potential buyers visit, they can much more easily get in touch with you.

The more your land looks like you are there and actively using it, the better.

Know thy neighbors

Neighbors are a great early warning indicator when something strange is happening on your property in a rural community – like squatters or prospective buyers checking it out. If a neighbor sees a ‘for sale’ sign in front of your land, it’s helpful if you have a relationship and they can call to ask you about it. This has saved many landowners from a fraudulent sale before it was too late.

Read your mail

If you’re anything like me, it takes you a while to open your mail – especially the stuff that looks like business. Title companies now often send letters to owners to verify the real owner is the one trying to sell a property. And if you signed up for the fraud notification alerts with a county clerk and no one catches the fraud before it occurs, you will get a letter in the mail, so you can at least take action as soon as possible to clear your title from sales proceeds to red flags.

Consider “Title Lock Insurance” only for a house – even then, buyer beware

The term “Title Lock” is misleading. No one can lock your title and prevent documents from being recorded against your property. What some title lock services will do is to help you clear your title — but it is important to note that these services typically only cover a residence. At the time of writing, there is no service like this that covers vacant land.

Title insurance also offers an ALTA “Homeowner’s policy” that covers you from fraudulent actions after you own the land, but again, this only applies to a home.

What should you do if you suspect vacant land fraud?

• Act quickly. Contact your county clerk and ask for a certified copy of any recently recorded deed or fraudulent documents.
• Contact the county sheriff and file a report.
• Place a fraud alert or credit freeze with the three credit bureaus if identity theft is suspected – this will help prevent any loans being taken out against your property.
• Ask the county clerk or county District Attorney’s office for recommendations on real estate attorneys who can help you clear your title. Many counties are implementing expedited quiet title actions to help fraud victims clear their title.

The best strategy for title fraud prevention is to be proactive

When it comes down to it, there’s a reason no service insures land against title fraud: it’s the easiest target. Landowners, county clerks, title companies, and responsible land buyers all have a role to play in property fraud prevention.

Ultimately, the only way to prevent vacant land scams from occurring is to make your vacant lot harder to steal. States and counties will continue to improve the tools in their arsenal to protect landowners, but it will take time, and as artificial intelligence and technology improves, criminals will continue to advance in their land stealing methods.

Andy Rouse is a land investment strategist and a LANDTHINK contributor. He leads Haystack Land Company, which buys land in Texas, New York and across the United States.