Florida Real Estate Fraud: What Buyers and Homeowners Need to Know in 2026

Florida's Fraud Problem — By the Numbers

Florida has ranked #1 or #2 in the FBI's state-level real estate fraud rankings every year since 2019. The combination of valuable properties, high numbers of absentee and vacation homeowners, a large elderly population, active investor markets, and easily searchable public records makes Florida the most fertile state in the nation for real estate fraud schemes.

The Fraud Types Most Common in Florida

Deed Fraud

Florida's publicly accessible deed records make deed fraud research trivially easy for fraudsters. Vacation homeowners — particularly those with properties in South Florida, the Tampa Bay area, and the Orlando region — are disproportionately targeted because extended periods of absentee ownership create large detection windows.

Homestead Fraud

Florida's homestead exemption reduces property taxes significantly for primary residents. Fraudsters steal identities to fraudulently claim homestead exemptions on properties they don't own — and in some cases, use the homestead filing as a precursor to a full deed fraud scheme.

Wire Fraud at Closing

Florida's high closing costs and large transaction values make wire fraud highly lucrative. South Florida's international buyer market creates additional complexity — buyers wiring from overseas accounts face less scrutiny and are targeted with spoofed instructions targeting international wire systems.

Foreclosure Rescue Scams

Florida's foreclosure market — still elevated since the 2008 financial crisis aftermath and the COVID-era forbearance period — creates a large pool of distressed homeowners targeted by foreclosure rescue scammers who charge large upfront fees for services they don't deliver.

Florida Laws and Legal Protections

Florida Statute 817.535 — Fraudulent Property Documents

Filing a fraudulent document against real property in Florida is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. The statute specifically covers forged deeds, fraudulent liens, and false ownership filings. Repeat offenses are second-degree felonies.

Florida AG Real Estate Fraud Unit

The Florida Attorney General maintains a dedicated Real Estate Fraud Unit that investigates complaints, issues cease-and-desist orders, and prosecutes fraudulent real estate enterprises. File complaints at myfloridalegal.com.

County Property Alert Programs

Several Florida counties offer free enrollment in document-alert programs. These alerts are name-based: when any document is recorded under a name you register (yours, your spouse's, a trust, an LLC), you receive an email or mail notification. Register every name that appears on the deed. Programs vary by county — contact your county clerk's office to enroll:

• Miami-Dade County — MyHomeOwnerAlert.com
• Hillsborough County — Property Fraud Alert through the Clerk's office
• Palm Beach County — Property Watch program through the Clerk of Courts
• Pinellas County — Property Alert service through Clerk.org

Note: County document-alert programs are run by the recorder's office itself and are typically the fastest, most authoritative source of notice. Enrollment is free in most Florida counties — an HFDCP™-certified pro is trained to walk you through the right portal.

How to Report Real Estate Fraud in Florida

1. Florida AG Consumer Protection — myfloridalegal.com · 1-866-9NO-SCAM
2. FBI Miami Field Office — tips.fbi.gov or ic3.gov for online reports
3. Florida DBPR — file complaints against licensed real estate agents at myfloridalicense.com
4. Local sheriff or police — for immediate fraud in progress
5. Your county clerk's office — to flag fraudulent deed filings