Real Estate Fraud

The sad truth is that any industry involving multi-million dollar transactions will have some level of corruption and fraud. Greed drives unscrupulous actions intended to deceive less-informed or less-observant parties.  Whether you think you have been defrauded, or are being accused of fraud, the attorneys at Webb & Ord can defend and guide you safely through the legal process.

What if I think I’m a Victim of Real Estate Fraud?

You should contact a real estate attorney immediately, there are statute of limitations on processes and paperwork and you don’t want to miss any important deadlines.

Real Estate Fraud Comes in Many Forms

Does something about your real estate transaction just not feel right? For your reference, here are a few common types of real estate fraud.  There are more variations than you can imagine.

• • Title Fraud — The oldest trick in the book, in this case the scammer simply forges counterfeit documents to pose as the property owner. This type of fraud overlaps greatly with identity theft law, as often the fake property owner will take out a mortgage on the property that the real property owner is responsible for. Additionally, a scammer may sell a property with forged documents and flee with the cash.

• Online Scams — In this scam, the defrauder will post pictures of a property on a marketplace website, such as craigslist.com, in an attempt to “rent” (or “sell”, in rare cases) the property. The scammer does not actually have access to the property, but will assure you that if you simply send a money order or bank transfer, they will next-day ship the keys to the place. Most of the time the owner of this property happens to be out of the country, and the property is probably “too good to be true.” This is a very common scam, and many of you who may have checked out online rental hubs may have seen examples of this type of scam.
• Foreclosure and Home-Equity Fraud — A property owner that is strapped for cash and late on mortgage payments is a vulnerable target to scammers. In this type of scam, a criminal or criminal company may offer a loan to consolidate loans, in exchange for a transfer of the property title (or some other concession, such as monthly payments). In this scam, the criminal never actually consolidates the property owners, and like most scams, at some point absconds with the money.

Webb & Ord are Experienced in Fighting Real Estate Fraud in California.

Webb & Ord have been working in real estate fraud litigation for years and have successfully litigated award verdicts for its clients. Don’t let someone take advantage of you, bring in some fire power with an experienced real estate fraud attorney.  Call us at 323-462-3736.