FBI Boston Issues Quit Claim Deed Fraud Warning

April 10, 2025

The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) issued a warning about the steady increase in reports of quit claim deed fraud it has received.

Also called home title theft or seller impersonation fraud, the schemes involve fraudsters who forge documents to record a phony transfer of property ownership. Criminals can then sell either the vacant land or home, take out a mortgage on it, or even rent it out to make a profit, forcing the real owners to head to court to reclaim their property.

Deed fraud often involves identity theft where criminals will use personal information gleaned from the internet or elsewhere to assume your identity or claim to represent you to steal your property.

“Folks across the region are having their roots literally pulled out from under them and are being left with no place to call home. They’re suffering deeply personal losses that have inflicted a significant financial and emotional toll, including shock, anger, and even embarrassment,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division. “We are urging the public to heed this warning and to take proactive steps to avoid losing your property. Anyone who is a victim of this type of fraud should report it to us.”

Law enforcement and the FBI have been alerted to the fraud at all points in the process and have received reports involving a variety of fraudulent scenarios, including: 

Scammers who comb through public records to find vacant parcels of land and properties that don’t have a mortgage or other lien and then impersonate the landowner, asking a real estate agent to list the property. Homeowners whose properties have been listed for sale don’t know it until they’re alerted, sometimes after the sales have gone through.

Family members, often the elderly, targeted by their own relatives and close associates who convince them to transfer the property into their name for their own financial gain. Fraudsters known as “title pirates” who use fraudulent or forged deeds and other documents to convey title to a property. Often these scams go undetected until after the money has been wired to the scammer in the fraudulent sale and the sale has been recorded.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), which provides the public with a means of reporting internet-facilitated crimes, does not have specific statistics solely for quit claim deed fraud, but it does fall into the real estate crime category. Nationwide, from 2019 through 2023, 58,141 victims reported $1.3 billion in losses relating to real estate fraud. Here in the Boston Division—which includes all of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island—during the same period, 2,301 victims reported losing more than $61.5 million.

  • 262 victims in Maine lost $6,253,008.
  • 1,576 victims in Massachusetts lost $46,269,818.
  • 239 victims in New Hampshire lost $4,144,467.
  • 224 victims in Rhode Island lost $4,852,220.

The reported losses are most likely much higher due to that fact that many don’t know where to report it, are embarrassed, or haven’t yet realized they have been scammed.

FBI Boston is working with property owners, realtors, county registers, title companies and insurance companies to thwart the fraud schemes. 

ALTA Resources
ALTA’s Efforts

Not only has ALTA helped develop several resources to provide education about seller impersonation, the association and other trade groups also developed an issue brief with recommendations to help combat the increase in deed fraud. AARP, Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), National Association of Realtors (NAR), National Notary Association (NNA) and Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) all helped create the What Is Deed Fraud brief.

The document outlines numerous ways to help prevent and mitigate deed fraud, including:

  • Providing identity verification options for notarizations performed in the physical presence of the notary.
  • Providing better security for access to public records.
  • Requiring continuing education for real estate professionals and notaries.
  • Allowing local government offices to report suspected fraudulent documents to law enforcement.
  • Offering property owners free access to property recording notification systems.


Contact ALTA at 202-296-3671 or [email protected].