NAR Survey Shows Prevalence of Deed Fraud

The Northeast has the highest prevalence of deed and title fraud, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors®. Ninety-two percent of Realtors® in the Northeast surveyed for the study reported awareness of such fraud in their markets in the past 12 months. Matt Christopherson, director, NAR Business and Consumer Research, presented the findings during a Risk Management Issues Committee at the NAR Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C.

Title fraud, or deed theft, is when someone illegally transfers the title or deed of a property without the owner’s knowledge. Often, criminals use fake IDs and/or forged documents to record documents with the county recorder, transferring the property to themselves, or falsely represent themselves as the owner to list and sell a property.

NAR’s 2025 Deed and Title Fraud Survey was developed to measure the nationwide occurrence of these scams. They received input from 43 states and territories and Washington, D.C.

More than 3 in 5 respondents are aware of title fraud and deed theft that have occurred in their markets in just the past months.

Christopherson said, “The occurrence of these scams was more common among respondents in central cities and suburban areas, with 64% in central city/urban areas and 62% in suburban areas.”

“We’ve been made aware of these types of fraud cases throughout the commonwealth, and most recently, they seem to be connected to vacant land,” said PAR Chief Legal Officer Hank Lerner. “We urge members to be cautious and recognize that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

That tracks with NAR’s research, which showed that occurrences were most often associated with vacant land at 62%, rather than owner-occupied properties (12%). The majority (52%) of the scams involve residential land. Less than 1 in 5 involve a single-family home.

NAR’s report shows that most current policies focus on preventing these scams. Sixty-seven percent said an electronic notification system is in place to help prevent these scams. Others report municipalities (24%) allowing local recorders to have the ability to flag suspicious filings. Other policies/solutions include a known filer system, a property title freeze system, creating an expedited quiet title process to investigate, and a safe harbor for agents to mitigate fraud.

PAR supports House Bill 1406 (Rabb, D-Philadelphia), which creates a criminal offense of deed fraud.

NAR has created a consumer guide to help explain what deeds and title fraud involve.