SLO County District Attorney’s Office stops almost $9 million in fraudulent property sales
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY, Calif. – The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office Real Estate Fraud Unit has successfully stopped nearly $9 million in fraudulent real estate sales in the county.
The scheme centers on thieves contacting local real estate agents and trying to sell land they do not own explains the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office in a press release on Monday.
In May of this year, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office issued an alert to county real estate agents and organizations that their office had investigated seven such cases since April.
How can you protect your property from becoming part of this type of scheme?
The San Luis Obispo County District Attorney's Office explains that property owners of lots that do not have any encumbrances, such as a lien, should check the address of their property on trusted real estate websites such as Zillow or MLS Multiple Listing Service Listing to see if their property has been fraudulently listed for sale.
Property owners can also do a property title search using the County Clerk-Recorder website's official record search.
If you find that your property has been fraudulently for sale or sold, contact District Attorney Senior Investigator Eric Vitale as soon as possible at 805-781-5868 or via email at evitale@co.slo.ca.us.
