Selling your home this summer? Your data is already moving
What property sales can reveal
The moment a deed or property transfer gets recorded, key details can become part of the public record, depending on your state and county. That may include your name, mailing address, property history and, in many places, the sale price.
That gives scammers a head start. Based only on public record updates, they can target you when you may have the most to lose and when you are distracted by a move. They may know you recently sold a property, that you are receiving messages from real estate agents, title companies, escrow officers, inspectors and contractors and that your contact details may have changed.
But the deed and property records are only part of the problem. A property sale can reveal much more, including:
- Floor plans that show the home’s layout
- Interior photos that may reveal security systems, entrances and valuables
- Exterior views from listings or map services
- Photos that show artwork, electronics, collectibles or other expensive items
- Personal data that brokers already collected before the sale
How scammers get their hands on this information
Data brokers collect property information and sell it to real estate investors, marketing companies and lead generation services. For someone between 55 and 70 who is downsizing from a family home to a smaller property, that filing creates a fresh verified data point.
That new data can update an entire broker profile automatically, including your new address. Once that happens, the information can spread across people-search sites, marketing databases and broker networks. In some cases, it may reach brokers who sell curated consumer profiles to questionable buyers.
In other words, scammers do not have to piece together every record by hand. Data brokers and people-search sites can do the scraping, matching and packaging for them.
Watch for real estate wire fraud
Scammers may also impersonate your real estate agent, title company or escrow officer near closing. They may send fake wiring instructions or claim payment details have changed at the last minute.
Before sending or accepting any transfer, call the title company or closing professional using a phone number you found independently. Do not trust a number inside an unexpected email or text. Also, be suspicious of any last-minute change to wiring instructions.
BOOKING A SUMMER TRIP? HERE’S WHAT YOU’RE GIVING SCAMMERS
Home sellers may become targets after closing as scammers use property records, online listings and people-search sites to track personal information. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How to limit the danger when selling your home
There are two main ways to reduce the risk. You can limit what enters the public record, and you can disrupt the spread of your information once it appears online. You can also do both at the same time.
To limit what gets exposed:
- Blur your property on Google Maps and Apple Maps. You can also follow our step-by-step guide to blur your home on Google Maps and Apple Maps
- Contact your local government, usually at the county level, to ask whether property records can be redacted
- Sign up for free property or deed recording alerts through your county recorder or clerk’s office, if available
- Remove property photos that reveal personal information or weaken your physical security
- After purchasing a property, ask the real estate agent to remove photos and floor plans from their website
To limit what circulates online:
- Search for your name on popular search engines and note the people-search sites that appear
- Submit removal requests to sites that claim to sell your personal information
- Prioritize brokers that specialize in property records, such as PropertyChecker.com or FloridaParcels.com
- Research data brokers that operate in your area and send removal requests even when their websites do not allow public searches
Or, you can replace much of that work with a subscription to a data removal service.
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Scammers can use real estate data, listing photos and broker profiles to build convincing schemes targeting recent home sellers.
Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/science/selling-home-summer-data-already-moving