FBI warns homeowners of terrifying scam that could see them targeted by ‘title pirates’

The FBI is warning homeowners of terrifying new scam that could see residents targeted by ‘title pirates’.

The Boston office of the FBI has launched an investigation after discovering a series of stolen land scams and attempted property thefts, and is now warning homeowners and real estate agents of the 'title thefts' across the US.

The news comes following I-Team investigations that unearthed scores of victims who had their land stolen, reports CBS News, with fraudsters impersonating owners by using fraudulent driver's licenses.

Halla Shami Jakari is one such victim who told WBZ-TV's I-Team that she never sold her vacant land in Concord but was shocked to discover that not only was it gone, but another buyer had purchased it and started building on it.

Halla and her husband Omar made the grim discovery that fraudsters had stolen the plot to sell on.

Omar added: "They stole our dream."

Land theft can be done by scammers online (Getty Images)

Another man, John Grimes in Plymouth, said he bought his home six years ago but was contacted by an attorney in September last year to be told his house was for sale.

He also was at home when an engineering firm knocked on his door to outline a plot plan for the property.

Grimes said his parents previously almost saw their Cape Cod waterfront access land fall into thieves hands.

"I explained to him don't do anything you are caught up in a scam! I was just like, 'Oh my God this is still happening'," he said.

"My mother was in a state of panic she said 'absolutely not, the land is not on sale,'" Grimes added.

The man then filed a fraud report with the FBI and signed up for free notification alerts about any registry of deeds.

"I got a phone call from a lawyer just outside of Boston and he had gotten a request asking him to facilitate a closing with an e-signature. And everything was all set. But it wasn't my real signature," Grimes told the Daily Mail.

If he hadn't of gotten that call, it could've been too late to save his property after a purchase and sale agreement had been made using his signature.

Thousands of people have discovered thieves have acquired their land and sold it on (Getty Images)

Shedding light on the matter, the FBI said it cannot comment on specific cases but the thieves seem to be targeting elderly people and can easily manoeuvre the crime since contracts are done digitally.

"Our elderly population [are more at risk] because they are more likely to own vacant pieces land that they have had for quite some time, and they are also more likely to own homes without any mortgages on them," FBI Special Agent Vivian Barrios told CBS. "Because those have the biggest benefit to the criminal actor."

While land theft had been rising across the country, Boston investigators say cases are becoming more frequent in the area, prompting the FBI to issue a warning about so-called 'title pirates.'

In a four-year period from 2019 to 2023, some 2,301 residents across Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island had their land stolen, losing out on more than $61.5 million.

According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center over the same period, 58,141 victims reported real estate thefts to the tune of $1.3 billion in losses.

Special Agent Barrios is urging victims to report any such instances immediately.

"We find that within a 24-hour window we can sometimes get to the money before it's left the account and the banks together with us can sometimes get the money back to the victims," Barrios explained.