Vacant Land Fraud in Maryland: How to Protect Your Property
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Vacant land fraud is not just a theoretical risk. Criminals are using public property records, fake identification, new email addresses, internet-based phone numbers, and remote closing procedures to impersonate landowners and attempt illegal sales.
Vacant lots, inherited parcels, second properties, and land owned by someone living outside Maryland can be especially attractive targets because nobody lives on the property to notice a sign, a photographer, or unexpected activity.
My approach: When I am asked to list vacant land, I do not rely on one document or one conversation. I verify ownership through independent records and may request a current government-issued ID, a recent property tax bill, and additional information that a legitimate owner should be able to provide. A tax bill does not prove identity by itself, but it creates another important comparison point.
How the Vacant Land Scam Usually Works
The criminal first identifies a parcel and collects information about the legal owner from public records or stolen data. The impersonator then contacts a real estate agent and claims to be ready for a quick sale.
The fake seller may ask for a price below market value, prefer a cash buyer, avoid meeting in person, and insist on a remote settlement. The goal is to complete the transaction and redirect the sale proceeds before the true owner knows the property was listed.
A legitimate remote seller is not automatically suspicious. Many Maryland owners live in another state or cannot attend settlement. The risk increases when several inconsistencies and pressure tactics appear together.
Warning Signs That Deserve Extra Verification
- The seller communicates only by email or text and avoids a live video conversation.
- The phone number is internet-based or does not connect to independently verified owner information.
- The seller has limited knowledge of the parcel, surrounding area, taxes, access, or ownership history.
- The requested list price is noticeably below the property’s likely market value.
- The seller pushes for an unusually fast cash transaction.
- The identification, signatures, addresses, or personal details are inconsistent.
- The seller wants to choose an unknown notary or control the remote signing process.
- Sale proceeds must be wired to a different person, business, attorney, state, or country.
- The seller cannot provide ordinary supporting records, such as tax information or prior property documents.
- The explanation for refusing normal verification keeps changing.
How Maryland Property Owners Can Protect Vacant Land
- Review your property information. Periodically check the tax record and Maryland land records for unexpected changes, unfamiliar documents, or incorrect contact information.
- Keep your mailing address current. Make sure tax bills and official notices go to an address you actively monitor.
- Search your address online. Check major real estate websites and search engines to confirm your parcel has not been advertised without permission.
- Create an address alert. A search-engine alert may help notify you when a new webpage or listing mentions the property.
- Ask about recording notifications. Contact the office responsible for local land records and ask whether it offers alerts when a document is recorded under your name or against your parcel.
- Protect your documents and accounts. Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication for email, financial, and document-storage accounts. Do not send sensitive identification through an unsecured channel.
- Respond to unexpected activity quickly. A surveyor, sign installer, photographer, or real estate agent visiting your land may have an innocent explanation, but it deserves an immediate call when you did not authorize a sale.
- Use professionals who verify identity. Choose a Realtor and title company that treat seller verification as a required part of the process, not an inconvenience.
- Discuss title coverage. Ask a qualified title professional what your current or proposed owner’s title insurance policy covers regarding forgery, fraud, legal expenses, and post-policy protection.
How Buyers Can Reduce Their Risk
Buyers also need protection. A low-priced parcel and a fast cash closing can look like an opportunity, but the buyer may face a serious ownership dispute if the person signing the deed is not the legal owner.
Use a trusted title company. Confirm the seller’s identity through independently obtained information. Never rely only on contact details supplied by the person claiming to own the land. The FBI also recommends sending a certified letter to the owner’s address shown on the tax record as an additional verification step when purchasing.
Fraud prevention does not replace normal land due diligence. Buyers still need to investigate access, boundaries, zoning, subdivision potential, building restrictions, septic or sewer, wells, wetlands, flood zones, environmental concerns, utility availability, and county approvals. My guide to buying land and building a home in Maryland explains why those county-level checks matter.
What to Do If You Suspect Fraud
- Stop the transaction or listing activity until the identity and ownership questions are resolved.
- Save emails, text messages, identification, contracts, phone numbers, screenshots, and wiring instructions.
- Contact the real estate brokerage, title company, and real estate website involved.
- Check the tax record and land records for unauthorized changes or recordings.
- Speak with a Maryland real estate attorney about protecting title and stopping further action.
- Contact local law enforcement.
- Report internet-enabled fraud to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
Do not confront a suspected impersonator or continue communicating simply to gather more information without guidance from law enforcement or legal counsel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Vacant land seller impersonation fraud happens when a criminal pretends to be the legal property owner and attempts to list or sell the parcel without the owner’s knowledge or permission.
Vacant parcels may be checked less frequently than occupied homes. Criminals often look for land owned free and clear, out-of-state owners, inherited property, or parcels where an owner may not quickly notice a listing or recorded document.
Warning signs can include refusing video or in-person contact, pressuring everyone to close quickly, limited knowledge of the property, asking for a below-market cash sale, inconsistent identification, and requesting proceeds be wired to an unrelated person or account.
No. Many legitimate sellers close remotely. A remote closing becomes more concerning when it appears with other red flags, such as identity inconsistencies, unusual urgency, refusal to verify information, or suspicious wiring instructions.
A recent property tax bill can provide another document to compare against public records and the information supplied by the person claiming to own the land. It does not prove identity by itself, but it adds a useful verification layer.
Owners can periodically review property and land records, search their property address online, create alerts for the address, keep their mailing information current, and ask the appropriate local land-records office whether recording notifications are available.
A buyer should use experienced real estate and title professionals, confirm ownership through independent records, obtain a title examination, verify wiring instructions through a trusted number, and complete county due diligence for zoning, access, septic, well, environmental, and building questions.
Coverage depends on the specific title policy and endorsements. Owners and buyers should ask a qualified title professional to explain protection related to forgery, fraud, legal defense costs, and post-policy events.
Contact the listing brokerage and real estate website immediately, preserve screenshots and communications, notify a trusted title company or attorney, contact local law enforcement, check the land records, and report internet-enabled fraud to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
An experienced Southern Maryland Realtor who understands land records, seller verification, county due diligence, pricing, contracts, and title procedures can help reduce risk and guide the transaction from listing through settlement.
Thinking About Selling Land in Calvert County or Southern Maryland?
Land transactions require more than placing a parcel in the MLS. Ownership verification, county research, pricing, contract protection, and careful settlement coordination all matter. I bring more than 25 years of Maryland real estate experience, strong contract knowledge, and advanced negotiation training to each transaction.
Dawn Riley
Associate Broker, Realtor, Master Certified Negotiator
The Riley Team at Deep Roots Real Estate
410-414-2438
dawn@dawnriley.net
Contact Dawn About Your Property