Having earned a considerable amount of money, most people dream of acquiring property somewhere warm and pleasant or by the sea, ocean, somewhere abroad. In most cases, overseas property buyers get acquainted with the presented real estate on sales websites on the internet.
Real Estate Abroad
While visiting websites where real estate abroad is offered for sale, potential buyers only see it in pictures, and the rest of the information can only be obtained by contacting a representative of the real estate sales company to understand whether it is really possible to buy this property or if the company is fake.
To avoid becoming a victim of fraudsters, it is necessary to choose a good honest real estate agency that deals with the sale of private houses, luxurious apartments abroad; such an agency will protect the buyer's interests by providing current information on the transaction. It will also provide assistance in paperwork for the purchase and will accompany you at all stages of the registration.
When choosing an agency, you should pay attention to the following nuances:
- honest companies have nothing to hide, so they actively maintain social networks and messengers, supplying them with news and reviews;
- they have official websites containing information about the agency, its licenses, availability of patents, various documents confirming the legality of the activity;
- the agency's support team is always in touch, provides answers to questions of interest, helps solve emerging problems;
- the experience of the staff is reflected in their behavior with the client, the ability to solve problematic situations with documents;
- they have certificates and accreditations.
The main feature of an honest company engaged in the sale of overseas real estate is the complete support of the transaction from the choice of option to the acquisition.
Investment Schemes
You can also invest money in real estate during its construction, or rather before it starts, and this is what fraudsters use to lure investors into their schemes. In order to deceive depositors, fraudsters come up with an entire scheme for fake real estate construction.
First, a website is created where fraudsters post information about the construction of a house, complex, apartment building with the involvement of investors. On fake websites, information is posted about:
- construction site;
- building plans;
- housing costs;
- initial deposits;
- licenses.
Such information can be created separately or stolen from real estate websites, processed in graphic editors, and presented as a new project. The goal of fraudsters is to gather as many investors as possible who want to invest in real estate construction and in the future have housing they dreamed of acquiring or use it for rent to earn money.
Real Estate Fraud
Also, when buying real estate, you can become a victim of fraudsters who offer fake real estate and false documents. Furthermore, fraudsters try to execute schemes with the sale of the same property to several people. They collect advance payments before fake document processing, promising the full procedure, while collecting buyers' advance money and disappearing in an unknown direction.
Sometimes fraudsters actually sell an apartment but by substitution, meaning they show one apartment where everything is perfect, but according to the documents, the buyer receives another, which may indeed be lower in price and of worse quality.
So one should be careful when choosing a real estate agency to avoid becoming a victim of real estate investment schemes.
International Frauds
In international fraud, several types are identified, which are known to most people, and can be divided into:
- internet fraud (occurring on online platforms, online stores, fake applications, hacker attacks);
- using complex financial schemes related to illegal money transfers via international banking systems (these include fake investment funds, credit organizations, charities);
- real estate frauds (scammers use fake documentation and schemes to illegally seize or sell property using foreign investors);
- counterfeiting and smuggling goods (villains take advantage of international transport routes for transporting illegal goods such as products, equipment, medicines, prohibited and dangerous substances).
If it happens that you become a victim of international fraudulent schemes, you should immediately report it to law enforcement agencies and hire lawyers who handle such criminal cases.