🏠Critical Risk

Property & Real Estate Scams

The highest-value fraud category — lakhs to crores lost

What is this scam?

Property fraud is the highest individual-value scam category in India, with victims regularly losing lakhs to crores of rupees — often their entire life savings. These scams exploit the complexity of property law, the opacity of land records, and the desperation of buyers in India's competitive property market. Property fraud typically involves multiple co-conspirators — agents, fake sellers, corrupt middlemen, and sometimes even bank employees.

How it works — step by step

1
Fake landlord rents out a property they do not own — collects 2–12 months advance rent. The real owner knows nothing.
2
Builder fraud: apartments sold in unapproved projects — booking amounts collected — construction stalls or is abandoned.
3
Double selling: same property sold to multiple buyers — first to register wins — others lose their money.
4
Land document forgery: fraudulent Patta/Khata/RTC documents used to sell land belonging to someone else.
5
Encumbered property sale: mortgaged property sold without disclosing the mortgage — buyer inherits the debt.

Common variants (5)

Variant	How it works	How to identify
Fake Landlord	Rents property they don't own — collects advance	Verify ownership at Sub-Registrar office before paying any advance
Builder Fraud	Sells apartments in unapproved projects	Verify RERA registration at state RERA portal before booking
Double Selling	Same property sold to multiple buyers	Check for prior encumbrance at Sub-Registrar office
Land Document Forgery	Fraudulent Patta/Khata documents used to sell land	Verify land records at state land records portal + Sub-Registrar check
Fake Property Agent	Collects 'registration fee' for properties that don't exist	Never pay any fee before physically verifying a property

🚩 Red flags — warning signs

⚠️Seller who discourages thorough document verification — 'trust me, the papers are fine'
⚠️Price significantly below market rate for the location and property type
⚠️Pressure to complete the deal quickly — 'another buyer is also interested'
⚠️Builder/project does not have a RERA registration number
⚠️Seller insists on cash with no registered agreement for advance payment
⚠️Documents that have corrections, overwriting, or inconsistent information

✅ What to do if you've been targeted

1Verify project RERA registration at your state's RERA portal — find your state portal at rera.gov.in
2Check land ownership at the district Sub-Registrar office or state land records portal
3Obtain an Encumbrance Certificate (EC) covering at least 30 years
4Never pay advance rent or booking amount without a registered agreement
5Hire a property lawyer to verify all documents before any payment
6File RERA complaint for builder violations at your state RERA portal

📋 Official resources & complaint portals

→rera.gov.in
→State land records portals
→Sub-Registrar office
→cybercrime.gov.in

Report this type of scam ← Browse all categories

What is this scam?

How it works — step by step

Fake landlord rents out a property they do not own — collects 2–12 months advance rent. The real owner knows nothing.

Builder fraud: apartments sold in unapproved projects — booking amounts collected — construction stalls or is abandoned.

Double selling: same property sold to multiple buyers — first to register wins — others lose their money.

Land document forgery: fraudulent Patta/Khata/RTC documents used to sell land belonging to someone else.

Encumbered property sale: mortgaged property sold without disclosing the mortgage — buyer inherits the debt.

Common variants (5)

Variant	How it works	How to identify
Fake Landlord	Rents property they don't own — collects advance	Verify ownership at Sub-Registrar office before paying any advance
Builder Fraud	Sells apartments in unapproved projects	Verify RERA registration at state RERA portal before booking
Double Selling	Same property sold to multiple buyers	Check for prior encumbrance at Sub-Registrar office
Land Document Forgery	Fraudulent Patta/Khata documents used to sell land	Verify land records at state land records portal + Sub-Registrar check
Fake Property Agent	Collects 'registration fee' for properties that don't exist	Never pay any fee before physically verifying a property

🚩 Red flags — warning signs

⚠️Seller who discourages thorough document verification — 'trust me, the papers are fine'

⚠️Price significantly below market rate for the location and property type

⚠️Pressure to complete the deal quickly — 'another buyer is also interested'

⚠️Builder/project does not have a RERA registration number

⚠️Seller insists on cash with no registered agreement for advance payment

⚠️Documents that have corrections, overwriting, or inconsistent information

✅ What to do if you've been targeted

1Verify project RERA registration at your state's RERA portal — find your state portal at rera.gov.in

2Check land ownership at the district Sub-Registrar office or state land records portal

3Obtain an Encumbrance Certificate (EC) covering at least 30 years

4Never pay advance rent or booking amount without a registered agreement

5Hire a property lawyer to verify all documents before any payment

6File RERA complaint for builder violations at your state RERA portal