In real estate transactions are huge amounts. It is not surprising that so many unclean hands are willing to warm up on this. After all, there is no need to produce anything, to invent - I turned the tricky scheme and was left with an amount exceeding the annual earnings of some citizens. A special term was coined for such scammers. So, who are black realtors, how do their schemes work?
Who are they?
Black realtors are scammers who commit criminal acts in the real estate market. Sometimes this is one realtor who has knowledge in housing legislation. Sometimes a group of people. Often a special "fed" notary is conspiring with them, for example, to fix legal capacity when making a transaction in a person in a state of alcohol or drug intoxication. A specialist who takes care of his reputation will not do this, but the helpers of fraudsters are not particularly worried about this.
The story of the appearance of black realtors
Fraudsters of such a flight appeared with the collapse of the Soviet Union. State property became private, and residents massively rushed to carry out various operations with it - to buy, change, privatize, share, etc. They most often did not have knowledge in the legislation, so they turned to specialists, as they thought. It was then, in the mid-90s, in the minds of dishonest citizens that the plans ripened on how to make money “out of thin air”.
Forewarned is forearmed
Of course, at first glance it’s not possible to understand that black realtors are dealing with you. How do these scammers work? What should you pay close attention to when making transactions with real estate? What schemes do black realtors use? How do they work when selling an apartment or during rental operations? Consider these issues in more detail.
Work by proxy
There is nothing terrible in the work of the power of attorney. A general power of attorney is a legal means to carry out transactions on behalf of the owner. But there are several pitfalls. So, the scheme of black realtors in this case.
For example, after the transaction is completed, it may turn out that the power of attorney at the time of the transaction was already revoked. That is, the owner really signed such a power of attorney, and then revoked it. Accordingly, all actions that were carried out using this power of attorney will be invalidated. Of course, the money for the purchase will be returned to you. That's just this process can take years.
To protect yourself, be sure to check whether the power of attorney is valid in the Register of Canceled Powers of Attorney at the Notary Chamber.
Well, insist on the presence of the owner at the time of the transaction. If representatives of the second side in every possible way refuse to give you a person “alive”, motivating that he is sick or is in another country, beware.
Work with apartments "by inheritance"
A recent inheritance is another situation that black realtors love to deal with. How our laws work, these swindlers know perfectly and use this for their own benefit.
So, if real estate is inherited and less than 3 years have passed since it entered, this situation is at risk. The fact is that for three years people who you did not even suspect can claim their rights to this apartment. Often these are adopted or illegitimate children. And the transaction may be invalidated.
The only thing left is to explain the situation to the heir and, having pressed on human greed, conduct the operation again as quickly as possible, at a reduced price, and put a rather large amount in your pocket.
From the latter: work with bankrupt
Recently, a bankruptcy law was passed in our country. Naturally, black realtors instantly responded to the new bill. How do they work in this case?
And they simply take advantage of our citizens' ignorance of the essence of the law. It has some points on which an apartment can be taken from the owner. Fraudsters in these cases always try to crank up the deal as quickly as possible, which means they significantly lower its real value.
Those who lead on a “tidbit” may face severe disappointment. If the court decides that the property was withdrawn from the general bankruptcy estate intentionally, the apartment will be taken from the buyers. Of course, they can always sue the bankrupt seller and take their place with him in receiving debts in a long line.
Work with mentally unstable and unhealthy people
This category is a favorite for scammers. Being good psychologists, they know how to rub themselves into trust. And if most people are prudent in everything that concerns their money, and are extremely careful, then the categories of the mentally ill, addicted to alcohol or drugs are the most vulnerable.
Information is often leaked to scammers by social services, which, because of their work, are aware of the problems of their wards.
So what do black realtors do when dealing with a person with an unstable psyche?
- Option one. Conduct a sales transaction. Here they need a notary public who will record the alleged legitimacy of the transaction. The owner of the apartment, having, for example, a lag in mental development, signs a contract of sale and signs in allegedly receiving money. It is clear that he does not see any means, often without even realizing that the papers on which he signs are connected with real estate.
- Option Two. Fictitious marriages. This option shows how black realtors act when dealing with chronic alcoholics or drug addicts. There are cases when such a sick person was married and after that they began to actively drink either cheap alcohol or they delivered hard drugs, waiting for an overdose. After the death of the unfortunate, the wife draws up property as an inheritance and shares the profits with her accomplices.
- Option Three. Selling an apartment for a dose or minimum amount. Here it concerns drug addicts who are at the stage of withdrawal. At this moment, a person is ready for inappropriate actions, and black realtors come to the rescue. Fraudsters buy property for ridiculous amounts for which you can get a dose. The addict signs all the papers, often selling shares in the apartments of the parents and thereby providing them with global problems.
If your family has a relative who has problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling, if this is a mentally unstable person or a citizen with a certain disease, be as vigilant as possible, do not throw everything to chance. Recognizing a person as incompetent would certainly solve the problem, but this is not always possible. And there are also frequent cases when, applying for deprivation of legal capacity, relatives pursue their own, by no means the purest goals. Therefore, the courts grant such requests with increased attention.
It's important to know! If a relative is registered with a neuropsychiatric dispensary, this does not mean that he is recognized as legally incompetent.
Therefore, if there is no possibility to recognize a person as legally incapable, just show maximum participation and attention to his life. And another piece of advice: take away from such a relative all the original documents on real estate. If fraudsters need to make copies, this will slow down the process.
Rental market: scope for criminal activity.
Currently, less than half of the country's population lives in rented apartments. There is a constant movement in this market - people move, vacate the living space, rent it out again and so on. The issue price is lower than in the purchase and sale market, but operations occur more often. It is not surprising that black realtors also chose this area for themselves.
How do they work when renting an apartment? Here are some common patterns:
- A person rents a house for a long time, signs a contract with the owner of the apartment. And after a short time it becomes clear that there are several owners of the apartment, and the other parties to the transaction do not agree with it. The tenant pays, for a minute, three large sums one-time - for the first month of residence, a deposit and payment for the services of a realtor.
- Several landlords leave a deposit for the apartment. It seems that they found the perfect option, and even at an inexpensive price? Leave a deposit and after a short period of time you arrive with the remaining amount and things, and then there is a surprise - there are still such a carriage and a small cart that are populated. And they all left a deposit. The owner of the apartment makes a helpless gesture - I don’t know anything; I was not going to rent out a house at all. This is especially true in large cities. So, for example, there are black realtors in Moscow. How these schemes work, they have long known. And they are always not against weld on several pledges.
- A realtor rents an apartment himself and, under the guise of an owner, rents it to several who wish. Having received collateral and deposit amounts, “reels fishing rods”. All the data that he provided to the owner of the apartment, most often turn out to be fake.
Signs that should alert the party to the transaction
These include:
- If real estate was sold and bought often lately.
- The owner is an elderly person.
- If the price of real estate is greatly underestimated - from 30% to 80%.
- The second party to the transaction seeks to conduct all operations urgently, for example, under the pretext of leaving abroad.
- If there are children in the family who are discharged to nowhere without a new place of registration.
If you encounter one of the “symptoms”, be vigilant. Perhaps they are trying to trick you.