{"id":69443,"date":"2026-04-23T12:02:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=69443"},"modified":"2026-04-23T12:02:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T19:02:49","slug":"buyer-real-estate-scams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-real-estate-scams\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Common Real Estate Scams and How to Avoid Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re buying or selling a home right now, scams are no longer just a rare or distant risk; they\u2019re part of the housing market landscape. Real estate transactions involve large sums of money, tight timelines, and multiple parties. That makes them a prime target for fraud.<\/p>\n

And increasingly, scammers are getting a powerful assist from artificial intelligence (AI).<\/p>\n

According to the FBI\u2019s latest Internet Crime Complaint Center report,<\/a> cyber-enabled fraud now accounts for the vast majority of reported losses, with total losses surpassing $20 billion in 2025 alone.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Source: IC3.gov<\/a> (FBI Internet Crime Report 2025)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Criminals are using technology to impersonate, intercept communications, and create highly convincing messages and images that are harder to spot than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n

AI is fueling real estate scams<\/h2>\n

The FBI notes that cyber threats are continuing to evolve alongside emerging technologies, enabling scammers to operate faster, scale their attacks, and make their outreach feel more personal and legitimate. In fact, the report logged more than 22,000 AI-related crime complaints, tied to nearly $900 million in losses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Real estate is firmly in the crosshairs, says Matthew Gibbs<\/a>, a top agent in Middletown, New York. \u201cScammers are using AI to mimic property owners and [real estate] professionals, targeting unencumbered homes or vacant land.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2025 alone, there were more than 12,000 reported real estate-related fraud complaints, with losses exceeding $275 million<\/a>. From fake wire instructions to impersonation scams that mimic agents, lenders, or title companies, these schemes are becoming more sophisticated and more convincing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Learn the 5 most common real estate scams in the current market and how to avoid them, based on insights from top agents across the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":69448,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[654,697],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homeownership","category-market-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n5 Common Real Estate Scams and How to Avoid Them<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn the 5 most common real estate scams in the current market and how to avoid them, based on insights from top agents across the country.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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