Deed Theft Is Rising, Along With Property Values

Detailed summary

The victims are often older people or immigrants, with thieves going after vacant land or unoccupied homes. But there are ways to protect yourself.

A dying woman with dementia. A doctor from Long Island. A couple renovating a home in Florida.

The three fell victim to a type of real estate fraud known as deed, or title, theft, in which someone forges documents or fakes an identity to take ownership of a home or vacant land. Criminals may impersonate the true owners and sell the property to unsuspecting buyers, or use it as collateral to obtain loans.

The rise in home property values, and, therefore, home equity, have made deed theft potentially lucrative, experts say. Homes owned by older people, homes that show signs of financial distress, and vacant homes or land may be especially vulnerable.

It’s not clear how common deed theft is nationally but awareness of the fraud is mounting, especially in the Northeast. Earlier this month, a Queens man became the first person convicted under a New York deed theft law passed in 2024. And New York City has created a special office of deed theft prevention to detect and investigate such fraud.

Reports of real estate crime in general rose by 32 percent in 2025, to more than 12,000 complaints, and associated financial losses rose to more than $275 million, according to the F.B.I.’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The F.B.I. estimates it received 66 complaints about deed or title theft in 2025, representing $5.9 million in losses, compared with 75 complaints representing losses of almost $7 million from January through October of this year.

The National Association of Realtors surveyed real-estate executives nationally in 2025 and found that nearly two-thirds reported being aware of this type of fraud in their area within the past year, with awareness highest — 95 percent — in the Northeast.

But the fraud isn’t confined to one region. “It happens everywhere,” said Craig Haskins, president of the American Land Title Association, a trade group for title insurers and agents and real-estate closing professionals.

Opening of the article, excerpted from DealBook (The New York Times). To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.