Seller impersonation fraud has more than doubled. Here’s what South Denver Metro property owners should know.

Imagine getting a phone call about selling your property.

There’s just one problem.

You never put it up for sale.

Someone else did.

They claimed to be you.

They contacted a real estate professional.

They provided identification.

They signed documents.

And they were attempting to sell YOUR property and collect YOUR money.

It sounds like the plot of a bad movie.

Unfortunately, it’s becoming a very real form of real estate fraud.

And artificial intelligence is making it considerably more sophisticated.

The Number That Got Bruce’s Attention

New research from the American Land Title Association found that 59% of surveyed title companies reported at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt during the prior calendar year.

In 2024?

It was 28%.

That’s more than double.

Even more concerning, the percentage of firms reporting an attempt during just the previous month increased from 19% to 45%.

This isn’t a theoretical problem anymore.

It’s something real estate and title professionals are actively encountering.

How Can Someone Pretend to Own Your Property?

Here’s where things have changed.

Property information is surprisingly easy to find.

A criminal may be able to identify:

Who owns a property.

Where the owner lives.

Whether the property is vacant.

Whether the owner’s mailing address is somewhere else.

And potentially whether there is a mortgage associated with the property.

Then technology enters the picture.

Fraudsters can use fake identification, spoofed telephone numbers, fabricated email addresses and increasingly sophisticated AI tools to make themselves appear legitimate.

The ALTA research found 87% of surveyed title firms considered spoofed contact information at least somewhat common, while 58% said the same about deepfake image or voice technology.

That’s why an email that looks legitimate isn’t enough.

A driver’s license isn’t necessarily enough.

And increasingly, even hearing someone’s voice may not be enough.

Which Properties Are Being Targeted?

This part is especially important for Colorado property owners.

The most frequently cited target in ALTA’s research was:

Vacant land — 82%.

That makes sense.

There’s nobody living on the property to notice a For Sale sign.

There may be fewer utility records.

There may be no mortgage.

And the actual owner may live hundreds or thousands of miles away.

But vacant land isn’t the only target.

Survey respondents also frequently identified:

Absentee-owned properties — 72%

Properties owned free and clear — 68%

Properties associated with recently deceased owners — 55%

That means the property sitting quietly in someone’s portfolio can sometimes be more attractive to a criminal than the house with a family living inside it.

Bruce’s Perspective: This Changes the Meaning of “Know Your Client”

Real estate has always involved verification.

But Bruce believes technology is forcing the industry to raise the standard.

It’s no longer enough to ask:

“Does this person sound legitimate?”

The better question is:

“Can we independently verify that this person has the authority to sell this property?”

That’s different.

And it connects directly with something Bruce has been emphasizing with sellers:

Market Ready isn’t the same as Transaction Ready.

Before Bruce worries about photography, Facebook advertising, open houses and marketing strategy, there are basic questions worth answering.

Who actually owns the property?

How is title held?

Who has authority to sell?

Is there a trust?

An estate?

Another owner?

An LLC?

A power of attorney?

Are there mortgages or liens?

Is anything about this transaction unusual?

Most of the time, everything checks out.

Good.

That’s exactly what we want.

But when something doesn’t?

Bruce would rather discover it before the property goes to market.

The Same Technology Can Target Buyers

There’s another side to this problem that’s arguably even scarier.

Imagine you’re buying a $750,000 home.

You’re preparing for closing.

Your phone rings.

The caller ID appears to be someone involved in your mortgage transaction.

The voice sounds right.

The caller knows details about the transaction.

They explain that your closing funds need to be wired early.

Then they send instructions.

You wire the money.

Except you weren’t speaking with your lender.

You were speaking with a criminal.

AI voice cloning combined with caller-ID spoofing can make this type of attack far more convincing than the poorly written scam emails people learned to recognize years ago.

That’s why Bruce believes buyers should treat any unexpected change involving money as a stop sign.

Not a yellow light.

A stop sign.

Bruce’s Rule Before Wiring Money

If you are buying a home and receive wiring instructions or a change to wiring instructions:

STOP. VERIFY. THEN SEND.

Don’t simply reply to the email.

Don’t rely on the telephone number contained in that email.

Contact your title company using a telephone number you independently know to be legitimate and verify the instructions.

If something changed unexpectedly, verify it again.

A five-minute phone call can protect hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Why Title Companies Matter

There’s encouraging news in the research.

ALTA found that 87% of seller impersonation fraud was detected during the title clearance or curative process rather than at signing or initial order entry.

That’s significant.

It means the systems used by title professionals are catching many problems before closing.

But Bruce doesn’t believe fraud prevention should begin with the title company.

It should begin much earlier.

It should begin with the first conversation.

Who is the client?

What’s the property?

Why are they selling?

Where do they live?

How is title held?

Does anything about the situation seem unusual?

Then use qualified title, legal, lending and other professionals to verify what needs verification.

That’s not paranoia.

That’s professional preparation.

Sellers: Watch for These Red Flags

No single behavior proves fraud.

But combinations of unusual circumstances deserve additional verification.

For example:

An alleged owner who refuses normal communication.

An absentee owner who wants an unusually fast sale.

Vacant land owned free and clear.

An insistence on communicating only electronically.

Unusual requests involving proceeds.

Information that doesn’t match available property records.

Pressure to bypass ordinary procedures.

Or something that simply doesn’t make sense.

The response shouldn’t be accusation.

It should be:

Verify.

What About Probate and Estate Properties?

This deserves special attention.

Properties involving deceased owners can already involve additional paperwork, personal representatives, trusts, heirs and attorneys.

Now add the possibility that criminals can search publicly available information and attempt to impersonate someone connected to an estate.

That’s another reason Bruce believes estate and probate listings require a more deliberate process.

Don’t rush simply because someone says:

“We need to get this sold.”

First establish:

Who has authority?

What documentation exists?

Who needs to be involved?

And which questions belong with the attorney or title professional?

Again:

Preparation before marketing.

Technology Isn’t the Enemy

Bruce uses AI extensively.

For market research.

Property positioning.

Content.

Search optimization.

Marketing.

Data analysis.

AI can make real estate professionals dramatically better at what they do.

But every powerful technology has another side.

The same technology that can help market a property can also help a criminal create a convincing identity.

That’s why the future of real estate isn’t:

Technology OR human judgment.

It’s:

Technology + verification + experienced human judgment.

This Is What Representation Should Look Like

Consumers already have access to listings.

They can research home values.

They can look up property records.

They can ask AI questions about buying and selling.

So the value of a real estate professional can’t simply be access to information.

It has to include something more.

Judgment.

Preparation.

Verification.

Negotiation.

Problem solving.

And knowing when something doesn’t look right.

That’s especially important when hundreds of thousands — or millions — of dollars are moving through a transaction.

The Bottom Line

Seller impersonation fraud more than doubling isn’t a reason to panic.

It’s a reason to improve the process.

For sellers:

Verify early. Prepare early. Surface unusual ownership issues early.

For buyers:

Never treat wiring instructions casually. Independently verify them before sending money.

For property owners:

If you own vacant land, an investment property, a property free and clear, or real estate you don’t visit regularly, pay particular attention.

Because today’s criminal may not break into your house.

They may try to become you.

And that’s exactly why Bruce believes protecting a transaction begins long before closing.

Want Bruce’s Real Estate Fraud Checklist?

If you own property in Littleton, Highlands Ranch, Englewood or elsewhere in South Denver Metro and want Bruce’s simple checklist of questions to ask before buying or selling:

Send Bruce the word “PROTECT.”

No sales pitch.

Just the checklist.

Because sometimes the most valuable thing a real estate professional does isn’t finding a buyer.

It’s spotting the problem before the client ever has to deal with it.

Bruce McQuiston
Coldwell Banker Realty
Your Personal Real Estate Coach

Data Before Opinion. Preparation Before Problems.