Property Scams

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Some of the frauds we investigated

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Review your case

Based on our experience, we are performing preliminary checks to assess whether your case can result in a substantial retrieval of losses.

Gather the evidence

We then gather every piece of evidence you have from your contact with the scammers along the way.

Investigation Report

We investigate your case and the people who scammed you to provide a detailed Investigation Report.

Action Plan

Get expert help to track and recover your lost crypto with a personalized approach.

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Binary Options Scam: Retrieve Your Lost Funds

As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI have conducted an investigation into a number of recovery companies, including Payback. Payback fully cooperated with the authorities throughout their investigation, and we are pleased with their decision to return our website in order to resume our operations in the US.

This inquiry into Payback was an opportunity for us to perfect our product and services and ensure stricter compliance with applicable US law. We look forward to continuing our work helping victims of online scam get their money back.

Your money back guarantee

Retrieving your losses can be a lengthy process, and it all starts with our investigation. Therefore, we must have your trust every step of the way. So, if for any reason you are doubtful, you can ask for a full refund within 14 business days.*

At Payback, we understand the devastating impact of property scams. With our team of dedicated professionals committed to empowering you with the knowledge and tools you need to take control of your situation, you can trust us as your reliable resource in identifying your case, discovering the truth, and providing you with a clear path toward relief. We also offer informational resources to help you understand and avoid property scams in the future.

How Does Property Fraud Work?

Property scams vary greatly in how they are executed, but they all aim to steal money from unsuspecting individuals who are interested in renting or buying or leasing a property. These types of online financial fraudsters can pose as property owners, landlords, real estate agents, property management companies, or other property-adjacent businesses to trick their victims into handing over their sensitive financial and personal information that they can use to steal from them.

Key points

Don’t pay anything upfront to view a property or believe you have a deal with an agent/seller that is approved by a lawyer or other independent expert.
Don’t share any personal information, such as your social security number or bank account number, with anyone until you’re sure a deal is real.
Always view properties in person and make sure they match the listing you saw, both in appearance and description.
Do your own research to verify the authenticity of rental or property sale companies.
Don’t give in to high-pressure sales tactics, especially for refinancing your mortgage or paying for foreclosure relief services.

Common Property Buying Scams

Escrow Wire Fraud

In escrow wire fraud scams, the fraudsters typically gain access to an email account associated with a real estate sale that’s currently in progress. They usually do this through some sort of phishing attack targeted at the seller, their agent, or the title office. As a buyer, they then contact you under the guise of appropriate authority to get you to wire funds to someone from the title or escrow company, coaxing the buyer to wire funds to the bank account. They then disappear with the wire, and the sale is lost.

Loan Flipping Scam

Loan flipping scams involve ill-intentioned lenders convincing homeowners to repeatedly refinance their homes unnecessarily to get money each time. This results in the property owners eventually owing way more loan than they can afford to pay. On top of it, all the malicious lender earns more and more in fees and interest.

Foreclosure Relief Scam

In foreclosure relief scams, the scammers target people who have homes in foreclosure by promising foreclosure relief services for a fee. This is especially devastating as it takes vulnerable people who are trying to save their homes from a foreclosure and further exploits them. Of course, the scammer takes the money but never actually provide the assistance that they promised.

Moving Scams

Moving companies have also been known to commit fraud in a number of ways. Sometimes, they might disappear with your stuff while you’re in the middle of a move. Other times, they might hit you with an unfair estimate or provide moving services at a higher cost than agreed upon without explaining the changes. You might also find yourself facing a situation where the movers hold belongings hostage until you’ve paid them whatever amount they want.

Commercial Real Estate Scam

Buying or renting a commercial property comes along with the risks of different types of commercial real estate scams. Scammers may pose as property owners and demand money upfront to see a property, then never appear to actually meet you in person. Or, they might show you a property that’s different from the one you saw online. Other commercial real estate scammers forge documents in order to obtain sensitive data from you that they can use to steal funds or your identity.

Home Inspection Scam

Real estate scammers sometimes work with home inspectors to commit fraud. Fraudulent home inspectors will tell you everything is alright with a property in exchange for a fee from a scam real estate agency, so you end up paying way more than something is worth and are stuck with expensive repairs down the road. Alternatively, scammers might just pose as home inspectors and charge you for inspections, when they really have no idea what they are doing.

Title or Deed Scam

Scammers often place fake property listings on rental sites, or copy existing listings from them, and use these to trick interested renters into giving them money as a deposit for a showing. Of course, they never show up to the property to give you a tour — if the property even exists at all.

Common Rental Property Scams

Fake Property Listings

In title and deed scams, the scammers attempt to illegitimately transfer the ownership of a property to someone else, without the real property owners knowing about it. They can do this by altering real deeds and titles with different names. They may then use the altered titles and deeds to sell the property to an unsuspecting buyer or to borrow money against your property.

Fake Letting Agents and Landlords

Fake letting agents and landlords show potential renters around spoof properties, take them for a deposit or a month’s rental upfront, then disappear with all the money before the victims realise that the individuals were not who they say they were and weren’t authorised to rent the property or receive payments for it.

Fake Overseas Landlords

Scammers sometimes use the excuse that they are “overseas” as a reason to insist on receiving the holding deposit in order to rent out a property to someone before the interested party’s viewings. The property is usually often fake or the listings are clones of real listings that the fraudster pulled directly off a website.

Phishing Scams

In property phishing scams, the fraudsters send out bulk emails pretending to be from a trustworthy real estate company. They claim the victim needs to pay rent or other fees for their rental through a fake online portal, or by giving credit card details and bank details for a fake lease that they invented.

Fake Printed Listings

Though less common than online property rental listing scams, some printed listings are known to be fake. The prints may also be fake, and scammers use these in locations with limited connectivity to try to get upfront payments from them to see or hold a property.

Property Scams Online

Facebook Property Scams

Fraudsters often use Facebook to place fake listings for properties for sale or rent. The scammers pose as landlords, real estate agents, or property owners and invent various reasons why they need upfront payments to hold a property.

Rental Property Scams On Craigslist

Craigslist is another online property listing site where scams occur. The scammers use the same tricks as elsewhere, posting false rental or for-sale listings and tricking victims into sending them deposits, holding fees, or other upfront payments.

Fake Property Scam Websites

In more complex property site scams, the con artists will even go to the length of setting up a whole fake website for property listings. They may clone websites of legitimate listing companies, real estate agents, or reputable property management companies, or call victims online.

How To Spot Property Scams

The property itself looks like a scam. Any property you actually go view should look like it does in the pictures you saw online and match the listing description.
Lack of proper documentation. Scammers often create bogus documents designed to steal information from you or trick you into thinking a sale or rental is legit.
The property “owner” or “landlord” won’t meet you in person.
Movers won’t provide you with a written estimate and contract for moving services.
Foreclosure relief service companies contact you out of the blue.
Someone is using high-pressure sales tactics to ask you for money to refinance your mortgage, or get you to sign up for foreclosure relief services.
You can’t verify whether a real estate company is real or not by looking them up online.

Victim of a Property Scam? To Retrieve Your Money, Start By Contacting Us

If you’ve fallen victim to a property scam, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and defeated. But don’t worry because we can give you the tools you need to pursue your funds. Our Property Scam Investigation services can help locate the scam by thoroughly researching your case and analyzing documents, communications records, and other evidence to reveal the fraudulent activities. The Investigation Report and Action Plan we provide, are the tools you need to realize your losses.

How To Avoid Property Scams

Never pay anything upfront before you’ve seen a property and are sure the deal is legit. No one should ever charge you anything in order to show you a property you’re interested in renting or buying.
Have a lawyer or a real estate agent review all contracts for sales or rentals before you sign anything.
Be aware of current market values for renting and buying in your area. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Don’t give out personal banking or identification information over the phone.
Get proof before being contacted by email or phone. If you’re in the process of buying a property, go to the office of the agency you’re working with and do it in person.
Do your research about property companies or individuals setting up rental listings. Google their names and check reviews or news to make sure they are legit and have not already been flagged as scammers.
Always meet landlords or sellers and view a property in person before you commit to anything.
Do your research before deciding to buy a property or rent and make sure the market price and how good value it is, even if you are given the documentation to support it.
Make sure to get a written estimate and have both parties sign it to make everything more legitimate.
Don’t give in to pressure to refinance your mortgage and borrow more money when it’s not necessary.

FAQ

How Do I Spot a Property Rental Scam?

Properties that don’t match listings, landlords that won’t meet you in person, and individuals or companies who demand up-front payments are all red flags of different types of property rental scams.

How Do I Spot Property Buying Scams?

Know what the market values of properties in your area are and don’t believe any deals that sound too good to be true. Have a lawyer, real estate agent, or other reputable expert examine any sale contracts for inconsistencies and errors before signing anything.

What Are the Most Common Property Scams To Be Aware Of?

Besides rental and sale scams, there are also foreclosure relief scams, home inspection scams, moving scams, loan flipping scams, title and deed scams, commercial real estate scams, and phishing property scams to be aware of.

Can I Get My Money Back From a Property Scam?

Yes, it is possible. At Payback, our team of expert investigators understands the complexities of these scams and can get to the bottom of your case. We’ll utilize our expertise to ensure the Investigation Report and Action Plan we create for you are just the right tools you can use to retrieve your losses.

How Does Property Fraud Work?
Common Property Buying Scams
Common Rental Property Scams
Property Scams Online
How To Spot Property Scams?
Victim of a Property Scam? To Retrieve Your Money, Start By Contacting Us
How To Avoid Property Scams?
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Retrieve your money from a scam!

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The types of scams we can help you with

Binary Options

Digital Currency

Forex

Credit card phishing

Stock trading

Romance

Other scams

More about Payback and our Fraud Investigation Services

About Payback

PayBack has only one mission: to protect people from frauds and scams online worldwide, whatever it takes. We help victims of online fraud retrieve what is rightfully theirs using our Investigation Reports and tailored Action plans. Although several types of scams have stood the test of time and are constantly growing in number of victims, new scams constantly pop up. Our job is to stay updated on both old and new scams to help the victims and inform our clients on how to stay safe in the future. We aim to be the number one company in the world to whom people can turn when they try to protect themselves from scams or when they need the tools to fight back after being a victim.

How do Our Investigation Reports help retrieve losses?

Very often, recovering losses from a scam doesn’t require a lawyer, court, or the legal system in general. Processes such as ADR allow one to retrieve money lost to a scam without a lengthy legal procedure. Yet to do that, one needs to be familiar with the ADR process, with the intricacies of the bodies involved, and armed with the needed evidence. This is where our Investigation Reports come in handy. The investigation report not only finds and gathers all the needed evidence in one place, but it also provides a suggested Action Plan that guides our clients through the retrieval processes (such as ADR) and shows them step-by-step how to navigate them and what exactly they should do to retrieve their losses.

Do all cases end with a successful outcome?

Unfortunately, no. For example, some scams involve people taking cash from their victims. Such cases rarely have a successful outcome, and we make sure people who come to us with such cases know it. It is very important to us to be transparent with our clients, and we make sure to give them an honest and straightforward assessment of their case and what we believe they can expect in terms of retrieval of losses. So, if we believe you can do nothing to retrieve your money, we will tell you so immediately.

How do I know if I have a chance of retrieving my money?

This is exactly why our “Free consultation call” practice is in place. It gives you a chance to tell us what happened and get our initial thoughts free of charge. Once we present our opinion and similar cases we’ve dealt with before, you can make a more educated decision about whether our services are for you or not. So, before making a decision, secure a free consultation, and let’s move on from there.

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