How It Started
I was contacted by email from someone identifying themselves as the seller of a vacant lot in Estes Park. They had the property address, and a stated preference for text or email to start the conversation. They also shared some background on the property and their reasons for wanting to sell.
None of it raised an immediate red flag. It read like a normal early-stage seller inquiry.
Doing the Homework
Before engaging further, I did what I always do with a new seller lead: I looked into the property itself. I pulled up the property records for the vacant land in question, and realized I actually knew the real owner personally.
The person who had emailed me was not them.
What Happened Next
I reported the attempt to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and reached out directly to my acquaintance to let them know someone had been trying to sell their vacant lot without their knowledge. Once they had the full picture, they made a smart move: they combined that parcel with their adjoining lot, which closes off this particular avenue for a future attempt.
Why Local Knowledge Matters
This is one of the clearer examples I've run into of why it helps to work with an agent who actually knows the area, not just the market data, but the people and the properties in it. I didn't catch this because I was being unusually cautious. I caught it because I recognized a name attached to a piece of land I already knew.
Vacant land is a particularly attractive target for this kind of fraud. There's often no structure, no tenant, and sometimes no one checking on the property regularly, which gives scammers more room to operate undetected.
A Free Tool Worth Setting Up
If you own property in Larimer County, there's a free way to add a layer of protection: the Recording Activity Notification Service through the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder.
Here's how it actually works: you register your name (personal, business, or trust) on the county's site, and any time a document is recorded under that name in Larimer County, you get an email notification with a link to view it. It's not tied to a specific parcel or address ~ it's tied to your name, so it will flag activity across any property you own in the county.
A few things to know before signing up:
- It's free, provided directly by the Larimer County Clerk and Recorder
- You may need to register multiple versions of your name (e.g., John Smith vs. John R Smith) since the system matches the exact format entered
- It only covers documents recorded in Larimer County ~ property in other counties isn't monitored
- It's one layer of protection, not a guarantee. Larimer County recommends additional precautions and suggests contacting local law enforcement and an attorney if you believe you've been a victim of fraud
You can register directly at records.larimer.org/landmarkweb/fraudalert.
The Takeaway
Seller fraud doesn't always look like a scam. Sometimes it looks like a perfectly reasonable email from a seller who has all the right information, except they're not actually who they say they are. It's a good reminder that hiring a local expert isn't just about market knowledge, it's another layer of protection for your property.
And if you own property anywhere in Larimer County, take five minutes and get registered for the county's free alert service. It's a small step that could save you a much bigger headache down the road!
