Closing day ended.The scam season started.

An official-looking envelope arrives bearing government-style seals and urgent language. It references your exact property address, your lender's name, your loan amount, and your recording date. It offers to send you a certified copy of your recorded deed for a fee of $83 to $150.

A caller identifies themselves as your title company or closing attorney. They claim you overpaid closing costs and that a refund is waiting. To process it, they need your bank account number and routing number to wire the money back.

A direct-mail piece arrives correctly naming your lender, your exact loan balance, your loan origination date, and your property address. It warns that you are unprotected and urges you to enroll in a life insurance or disability policy that would pay off your mortgage if you die or become disabled.

A mailer or robocall warns that your home warranty is expiring or that you are not covered after your builder warranty lapses. High-pressure language creates urgency to enroll before a deadline.

A letter or postcard from a company offers to appeal your property tax assessment and lower your annual bill. They charge an upfront fee of $95 to $450, or sometimes a percentage of the first year's savings.

A caller or text identifies as your electric, gas, or water utility. They claim your service cannot be activated or will be shut off unless you pay a deposit or a past-due balance immediately by digital payment, prepaid card, or cryptocurrency.

An unlicensed contractor knocks on your door or mails a postcard shortly after you move in, offering to address obvious repairs or upgrades. They quote a price, ask for a large deposit of 50% or more to cover materials, and disappear before any work starts. Alternatively, they do substandard work and demand more money to finish.

A letter or email states that your loan has been sold and that payments must now go to a new servicer at a new address or account. It correctly names your original lender, your loan amount, and your closing date. Real servicing transfers happen often and are legally required to be disclosed, which is exactly what makes the fake version work. Paying the wrong party does not satisfy your mortgage, and the real servicer will still report you delinquent.

A letter on association letterhead welcomes you to the community and demands an initial assessment, transfer fee, or capital contribution, payable to an address or account the sender controls. New owners have no baseline for what the real amount is or who collects it, and the recorded deed tells the sender exactly which community you just moved into.

A moving company loads your belongings onto a truck and then, on delivery day, presents a bill that is two or three times the original estimate. They refuse to unload until you pay in full. Your belongings are held as leverage.

A criminal files a fraudulent USPS change-of-address form or a county assessor mailing-address change in your name, redirecting your forwarded mail, bank statements, and tax correspondence to their address before you notice.

A letter, email, or call claims to be from the IRS or your state tax agency and states that you owe immediate capital gains tax on your home sale. They demand payment by wire transfer, prepaid card, or cryptocurrency within 24 to 48 hours to avoid penalties, liens, or arrest.

A letter or call from someone claiming to be the buyer's attorney states that the buyer has discovered material defects you failed to disclose. They threaten a lawsuit unless you wire a private settlement amount of several thousand dollars within a short deadline.

A letter or call says money is owed to you from your sale -- an overpayment, escrow holdback, or funds held by the county -- and offers to recover it for a percentage or an upfront fee. Sellers rarely have an easy way to confirm whether funds exist, which is what the pitch depends on. Where surplus funds genuinely exist, the county process to claim them is free.

Sellers using a 1031 exchange must park proceeds with a qualified intermediary. Criminals impersonate the intermediary, or compromise the real one's email, and redirect the wire. The amounts are large, the window is short, and the seller usually finds out when the replacement property closing fails.

A stranger makes contact through a dating app, social media, or a text claiming to be a wrong number. Conversation builds over weeks or months. Eventually they mention a need for help — a medical bill, a business opportunity, travel funds — and ask you to wire or transfer money.

A contact made through a dating app, messaging platform, or wrong-number text develops into a friendship. They mention impressive returns from a cryptocurrency platform and offer to show you how it works. You invest small amounts that appear to grow. When you try to withdraw, the platform blocks access and the funds are gone.

A call, mailer, or online ad offers investment or retirement planning advice. The advisor recommends taking out a HELOC or reverse mortgage to invest your equity in a high-yield product. Once funds are transferred, the advisor disappears or the investment account turns out to be fraudulent.

Someone records a forged quitclaim deed, a fake deed of trust, or a bogus lien against your home. Recording offices generally must accept a document that is complete and notarized, and no one at the counter confirms the signer is the owner. Owners usually discover it months or years later, when they refinance, sell, or receive a payment demand. Free-and-clear homes, vacant land, second homes, and out-of-state owners are the most exposed.

The record shows what you paid, what you owe, and therefore how much equity you have. Criminals use that with stolen identity data to apply for a HELOC or second mortgage in your name. The first sign is often a payment demand, an appraisal appointment you did not schedule, or a credit report entry for an account you never opened.

Criminals pull your address from the recording, take listing photos still online from the sale, and advertise the home for rent on classified and rental sites. They collect deposits and first month's rent from applicants who never get keys. Second homes, rentals, and homes bought from out of state are hit hardest, because nobody is there to notice.