CAMPO, California — Wayne and Sheryl Harpel purchased a 10-acre, vacant land parcel in Campo a decade ago. They planned to hold on to it and maybe build a house someday.
So, imagine their surprise when a real estate agent notified them recently that the property had been listed for sale.
“It was listed with at least four different real estate agents and tagged as a quick sale,” said Wayne Harpel.
A scam artist had listed the land by pretending to be the owners. It didn't take long for the property to pop up on several real estate websites.
That's when Wayne's father-in-law, Larry Johnson, started investigating.
“They have an email address that uses Sheryl and Wayne's name in it, which is false. They have a telephone number, which we traced to Edmonton in Alberta, Canada,” said Johnson.
The scam is called seller impersonation fraud. It typically targets vacant lots or vacation rentals that are mortgage-free. The scam artist lists the property below market value and may claim to be out of the country. They may also require money to be wired.
“It they're able to sell it or get a deed of trust or refinance it, they're going to look at quite a windfall,” said John Dunn, a deputy district attorney in the DA’s real estate fraud unit.
Dunn says he sees one or two of these types of real estate scams every month.
“They're going to send out a thousand requests to list a property and just hope that one or two get past the initial screening and get it listed and ultimately for sale,” said Dunn.
One thing a property owner can do is register for Owner Alert at the San Diego County Recorder’s office. You'll get an email notification whenever a transfer of ownership or other document is recorded on your land.
Unfortunately, by the time a transfer is recorded, it may be too late.
The DA’s office and the California Department of Real Estate try to educate real estate agents to recognize the red flags.
“The realtors and the escrow title agents and officers are the first line,” said Dunn.
Fortunately, the landowners in Campo found out in time.
“If you have a lot in California, and you don't go and visit it a lot. You should check the status. Make sure your lot is not being sold and you don't know about it,” said Wayne Harpel.
WATCH: Owner Alert, free real estate fraud notification service: