Photo: TownLift // Rayne Moynahan

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City has seen a surge in real estate scam attempts this year targeting empty lots owned by out-of-towners over age 65, according to the Park City Board of Realtors. According to Bob Bemis, Multiple Listing Service (MLS) director on the board, over two dozen of these scam reports have come in since the beginning of May.

So far, no fraudulent listings in Park City have resulted in a completed sale. Bemis said there was one close call earlier this year involving a property in Heber, where a title company inquiry detected the fraud before any money changed hands. “We’ve been very lucky,” he said. “To our knowledge, no homeowner in Summit County or the surrounding area has lost any money or property rights because of a fraud attempt.”

Bemis credited the area’s real estate agents for being the first to recognize suspicious behavior and for taking extra steps to confirm a seller’s identity. “Our agents are on the front line and are often the first to suspect someone isn’t who they say they are,” he said. “Hopefully, our information campaign has raised awareness of the need to be scrupulous in confirming ownership. Most of our agents are spending more time and effort with any new inquiry to ask the right questions, receive the right identification, and be as careful, and often as suspicious, as necessary.”

Detecting fraud

Park City realtor Dawn Chapman is part of the tight-knit community of realtors who deal with scam attempts on a regular basis. “Now, anytime that I get a call about listing a lot, my first thought is, it’s fraud,” said Chapman. She outlined the behaviors that raise red flags, including the caller wanting to list the lot for significantly less than market value, insisting that the sale is urgent, and wanting to sell as quickly as possible. When agents are contacted by someone who they believe is a scammer, they raise a warning with Bemis and the real estate board.

“As soon as we get a report, we start checking into it to see if the owner really is trying to sell,” said Bemis. Once they track down the owner’s contact information, they can verify whether the listing is legitimate. “100% of them come back and say, ‘No, we’re not selling this property.’”

Realtors have created a reporting network to share alerts and stay ahead of new scam tactics. “I didn’t plan on getting into the detective business when I started this route,” said Bemis. “So far, the campaign to keep our members informed has been working very well.”

On the case

Real estate agents have become the first line of defense against scammers, as scam cases present unique challenges for law enforcement, according to Sergeant Skyler Talbot with the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. “They often involve complex schemes that make investigations difficult,” explains Talbot. “Even when we are able to identify viable leads or potential suspects, jurisdictional issues can create additional hurdles, particularly when the suspects are located outside our state or, in many cases, outside the country.”

Cases vary significantly from incident to incident, but Talbot explained that if investigators can establish that all the elements of a crime were attempted and that the actor intended to complete the criminal conduct, they can still pursue charges. However, incidents where no money has been exchanged are significantly more difficult to investigate and prosecute than those involving an actual transfer of funds.

While other real estate markets also deal with scam attempts, Bemis believes Park City is targeted because of the high median sale price on homes and property compared to the Wasatch Front. The large percentage of absentee owners can also make it easier to initiate scam attempts.

Protect yourself from real estate scams

But the close community of real estate agents and vigilant neighbors are often enough to keep the scammers at bay. There have been reports of neighbors seeing “For Sale” signs on lots in the neighborhood and doing their own detective work to uncover a scam at work. The Sheriff’s Office emphasized that education and awareness remain the community’s best defense against scams. “We encourage residents to stay informed, exercise caution, and always report any suspected scam activity to the Sheriff’s Office,” said Talbot.

County officials recommend that landowners register with FraudGuard, a service provided through the Recorder’s Office. Registered users receive email alerts whenever a document is recorded in their name, offering an early warning system against potential scams.