Most people picture real estate fraud happening to the buyer: a hacked email, a fake wire instruction, a stolen down payment. But there's a second, less-discussed version of the same crime, and it targets the seller instead.

It's called seller impersonation fraud, and it's becoming one of the fastest-growing threats in real estate, one that can end with an unsuspecting buyer, and sometimes an entire closing firm, on the hook for a property that was never legitimately for sale.

What Seller Impersonation Fraud Actually Looks Like

In this version of the scam, a criminal doesn't hack a buyer's email, they impersonate the seller entirely. It typically targets a specific kind of property: vacant land, an inherited home, a rental property managed remotely, or a house owned free and clear by someone who lives out of state or overseas. These properties are attractive targets because the real owner isn't checking on them regularly, and there's no mortgage lender monitoring the title.

The fraudster researches public property records to find a target, then builds a fake identity using a forged driver's license, a spoofed phone number, and a lookalike email address. They list the property, often below market value to attract a fast buyer, negotiate a sale, and walk through the entire closing process posing as the legitimate owner. If the fraud isn't caught before funds are disbursed, the seller "proceeds" are wired straight to the criminal, and the real property owner may not find out anything happened until a tax bill, a title search, or a curious neighbor tips them off.

Why This Is Different From Buyer-Side Wire Fraud

Buyer-side wire fraud (business email compromise) tricks a real buyer into sending real money to a fake account. Seller impersonation fraud is structurally different, the entire seller identity is fabricated from the start. That means the fraud isn't caught by verifying a wiring instruction over the phone; it has to be caught earlier, during identity verification and title examination, before a contract is ever signed.

This is also why it's a bigger structural risk for the buyer and the closing firm. A buyer who unknowingly "purchases" property from an impersonator doesn't actually receive valid title, since the person selling never legally owned or had authority to sell it. Untangling that after the fact can mean months of legal proceedings, and the buyer's own funds may already be gone.

Warning Signs of a Seller Impersonation Attempt

A property listed well below comparable market value, especially vacant land or an inherited home

A seller who insists on all-remote communication refusing video calls, in-person meetings, or in-person notarization

Urgency to close quickly, discouraging routine due diligence

A seller who doesn't know basic property details a real owner would know, prior renovations, neighbors, HOA specifics, or utility providers

Government-issued ID that looks slightly off mismatched fonts, inconsistent formatting, or a photo that doesn't quite match video calls

A property that's vacant, absentee-owned, or held free and clear, with no mortgage lender in the transaction to independently verify the borrower

How a Georgia Closing Attorney Helps Prevent It

Because Georgia requires a licensed attorney to conduct every closing, there's a trained professional in the transaction whose job includes examining title and verifying that the person signing the deed actually has legal authority to sell. That oversight is exactly the kind of check that catches impersonation fraud before it becomes irreversible. Steps a diligent closing team should take include:

In-person or verified video identity confirmation not just a scanned copy of an ID

Cross-checking the seller's identity against the actual chain of title and prior deed history

Requesting notarization through a known, verified notary rather than accepting a document notarized by an unfamiliar third party with no traceable credentials

Flagging absentee-owner and vacant-land transactions for extra scrutiny, since these are the properties most commonly targeted

Verifying contact information independently calling a phone number pulled from public records or prior correspondence, not one supplied by the seller during the transaction

What Buyers and Agents Can Do

If you're buying vacant land, an inherited property, or a home from a seller you've never met in person, ask your closing attorney directly what identity-verification steps they take. A firm that treats this as a routine part of every closing — not an afterthought — is your best protection. Realtors listing this type of property should also build in extra verification steps at the listing stage, before a contract is even signed, since catching an impersonation attempt early avoids a much costlier problem down the line.

The Bottom Line

Seller impersonation fraud and buyer-side wire fraud are two different crimes that share the same root cause: criminals exploiting the gap between who a transaction claims to involve and who's actually behind the screen. Working with an experienced Georgia closing attorney who takes identity verification as seriously as title examination is one of the most effective safeguards against both.