W
ICHITA, Kan. - A new scam is targeting Kansas City real estate agents, prompting changes in the way they conduct business. Scammers are posing as home sellers, using information from county deeds to create fake IDs and convincing buyers to make quick cash deals with no financing.

    If successful, it can take months for victims to discover what's happened. To combat this, some agencies are advising brokers to only work with trusted title companies that use specialized computer programs to detect scams.

    "We're educating agents not just to use familiar title companies but also to verify they're doing the right thing," said Overland Park realtor Shelby Briggs Austin. "Not all of them have been burned by this yet, so we need to take proactive steps."

    Homeowners can protect themselves by staying in touch with the county about inquiries on their deeds and monitoring tax information for any discrepancies.