Wisconsin Authorities Warning Residents Of New Property Scam

The old saying used to be that you can only count on two things: death and taxes. However, given recent events, I think that could easily be amended to death, taxes, and scams.

After all, when was the last time we went even two weeks without a warning about scammers trying new ways to rip us off? Advances in technology, especially AI, have made it even worse, as scammers love to find ways to use technology against us.

Just last week, the Ashland County Sheriff's Office warned of a high-tech phone scam targeting people in Wisconsin. This week, a new scam is being reported in Wisconsin that doesn't involve phones, it involves people's property.

Wisconsin Authorities Warns Of Property Scam

On Tuesday, February 4, the Burnett County Sheriff's Office warned people of a new type of fraud that had been brought to its attention. While they have had recent reports of this scam, it could happen anywhere.

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The scam begins with the scammer finding a property the victim doesn't occupy regularly, such as a vacation home. Vacant land is another common target as the owner likely doesn't spend much time observing their land, especially if it's located in another community. Property scammers typically find targets by scouring public records, ideally finding property owned by someone whose primary residence is not located near that property.

Next, the scammer will contact a real estate agent claiming to be the owner of the property in question and tell the agent they'd like to sell it. In most cases, the scammer will quest a Quick Sale and want the documents sent via email, fax, or messaging. They don't want any face-to-face communication.

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The agent, unaware they are not dealing with the rightful owner of the property, will then list it for sale and do their best to sell it. Imagine how upsetting and violating it would be to find out someone listed your property for sale. There have been incidents where victims find out this has happened to them by being contacted by neighbors who have observed for-sale signs.

How You Can Prevent Becoming A Victim Of A Property Scam

Authorities recommend people sign up for Property Fraud Alert, a free notification service that monitors activity involving land records and alerts subscribers (via email, text message, or a voice phone call) each time a document is recorded in their name in the participating County Land Records office.

You may enter as many personal, business, and trust names as necessary. You may also monitor multiple names, using the same notification method or selecting a different one for each entry. Keep in mind that you can't enter multiple names with one entry, you must enter each individually.