Real estate scams are an unfortunately a reality and the Indiana Secretary of State, Connie Lawson, is warning potential home buyers about a new scam in the area, according to a report.
Lawson warned potential home buyers that scammers are using authentications from her office to create the false impression they own vacant property and trap Indiana residents into fraudulent real estate deals, according to the Associated Press.
Lawson says the scammers identify abandoned homes and create documents claiming they own the property. They then have a notary sign the document and take the signed document to the secretary of state's office for a gold seal to certify the notary's signature was authentic. The document is then filed with county recorders offices, and the scammers show it to their victims there as proof they own the property.
According to the report, those who are most at risk of falling victims to the real estate scheme are Hispanic buyers as they may get trapped by the language barrier.
