SLO County DA’s Office stopped $9 million in scam real estate sales, agency says
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office has blocked nearly $9 million in fraudulent real estate sales, the agency announced in a news release Monday.
According to the agency, its real estate fraud unit has been investigating a scam that targets real estate professionals and property owners. The scam targets vacant, lien-free undeveloped properties.
Scammers will impersonate property owners and contact real estate agents attempting to negotiate a sale, the office said in an earlier release.
The agency additionally planned to launch a “focused letter campaign” warning property owners that are likely targets to provide information on how to monitor and protect themselves.
The District Attorney’s Office encouraged owners of undeveloped lots that do not have any encumbrances to check their property address using a trusted real estate website such as Zillow or MLS (Multiple Listing Service) to determine if their property has been fraudulently listed for sale.
Owners can also conduct a property title search using the San Luis Obispo County Clerk-Recorder website’s official record search.
The agency asked anyone who discovers that their property has been fraudulently listed for sale or sold to contact San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Senior Investigator Eric Vitale at 805-781-5868 or by email at evitale@co.slo.ca.us.
