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Rocklin man nearly fell prey to real estate fraud, but thanks to the quick thinking of his agent and the property owner, they were able to expose the scam and complete a legitimate sale. Michael Joseph, a Roseville real estate broker with nearly 20 years of experience, said he was contacted by a man named Mohammad who claimed to own vacant land on Sylvan Road in Citrus Heights. Joseph researched the parcel and listed it for $200,000, but things took a turn when his escrow officer expressed concerns about the seller's behavior.

    The escrow officer noted that Mohammad had not yet called to finalize signing arrangements, despite being asked to do so multiple times. This, combined with Mohammad's unusual travel schedule and request to use his own notary, raised red flags for Joseph. He decided to meet Mohammad in person at his Rocklin home, where he was met with confusion and eventually realized that the man was not actually selling the land.

    The FBI investigates real estate fraud cases like this one, which often involve criminal rings taking advantage of remote transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, tens of millions of dollars have been lost in California alone due to real estate scams. The real Mohammad and his wife were victims of a similar scam and reported feeling a loss of comfort and security as a result.

    Despite the initial setback, Joseph and Mohammad were able to turn the situation around by completing a legitimate sale for $225,000. They are now sharing their story as a warning to others about the dangers of real estate fraud. To prevent falling victim to such scams, property owners can set up alerts on Google or Zillow for mentions of their address online, and some counties offer notification programs for recorded activity related to properties.