Property scams to watch when selling or buying a home

Selling or buying a home means moving large amounts of money and changing who legally owns a property, and that is exactly what fraudsters try to get in the middle of. The good news is that the scams follow a small number of patterns, and once you can name them they are straightforward to avoid. This guide covers the ones that cost UK sellers and buyers the most, and the simple steps that stop each one.

Why are property scam warnings rising again in 2026?

The risk has not gone away. Property Industry Eye reported on 14 September 2026 that cyber incidents reported to the Information Commissioner's Office by UK property businesses rose 17% in 2025, from 178 to 208, based on analysis by Karis Insurance.

Estate agents and conveyancers hold names, addresses, bank details and identity documents for every sale, which makes their inboxes valuable to criminals. UK Finance's Annual Fraud Report, published on 15 June 2026, found that authorised push payment fraud losses across all scam types rose 19% in 2025 to £576.4 million, across 248,070 cases.

Authorised push payment fraud is when you are tricked into sending money yourself to an account a criminal controls. Payment diversion in a house sale is one form of it.

What is the most common house-buying and selling scam?

Payment diversion fraud, often called Friday afternoon fraud, is the costliest. Payment diversion fraud is when a criminal intercepts or imitates emails between you and your solicitor or agent, then sends new bank details so that your deposit or sale money is transferred straight to them.

It is timed for the busiest, most pressured stage of a transaction, when large sums are expected to move quickly. Between April 2024 and March 2025, Action Fraud recorded 143 cases of conveyancing fraud with 11.7 million pounds lost, and for residential sales the average loss was 78,393 pounds per case. City of London Police warned of a surge in this fraud through 2025.

How do I protect myself from bank-detail fraud?

• Agree your solicitor's bank details in person or by phone at the very start, and write them down so you have a trusted copy.
• If you are selling, give your solicitor the account for your sale money early, by phone or in person, and ask them to call you before they ever act on a change.
• Treat any email or text that changes bank details as fraud until proven otherwise, and confirm it by calling a number you already have, not one from the message.
• Send a small test payment first and phone to confirm it arrived before sending the full amount.
• Be suspicious of urgency. Pressure to pay immediately or risk losing the deal is a classic fraud tactic, not a normal request.

What does bank-detail fraud look like when I am the seller?

For a seller, the target is usually the sale money rather than a deposit. A message that appears to come from you asks your solicitor to send the balance to a new account, or a message that appears to come from your solicitor asks you to confirm your account details through a link. Both are stopped by the same habit: nothing about money changes without a phone call on a number you already hold.

Could someone sell my home without me knowing?

It is rare, but it happens, and it is called title fraud. Title fraud is when a criminal impersonates the owner of a property to sell it or take out a mortgage against it, then disappears with the money. It most often targets homes that are empty, rented out, owned outright with no mortgage, or whose owner lives abroad, because no one is there to notice.

HM Land Registry runs a free service called Property Alert that emails you whenever an official application, such as a transfer of ownership or a new mortgage, is filed against a property you are watching. You can monitor up to ten properties. HM Land Registry blocked fraudulent registrations against more than 59 million pounds of property between 2024 and 2025, so the threat is real and the protection works.

How do I spot a fake or bogus buyer?

Not every keen buyer is genuine. Some present false proof of funds, some pose as cash buyers to tie up your home, and some make a strong offer then drop the price sharply just before exchange, hoping you are too committed to walk away.

• Ask for proof of funds and have it checked through your agent or solicitor, not taken on trust.
• Be cautious of an offer that is well above the others from a buyer in a hurry, especially if they resist normal checks.
• Watch for a large, late price reduction with no survey reason behind it, which can be a pressure tactic rather than a genuine concern.

What are upfront-fee and fake-listing scams?

These ask you to pay before anything real happens. Common versions are a company guaranteeing a buyer or a fast sale for a fee, a fake portal charging to list your home, or a bogus agent asking for an upfront valuation or marketing payment and then vanishing. A genuine high-street agent is paid from the sale proceeds when your home sells, not in advance.

How does handing over my details put me at risk?

Many valuation websites are really lead-generation businesses: you type in your name, address, phone number and email to see a figure, and those details are sold on to several agents or third parties. That is where the cold calls, the pushy follow-ups and the phishing messages begin, because your information is now in circulation and tied to a home you may be about to sell.

ValuQ gives UK homeowners free, side-by-side property valuations from competing local estate agents, without the seller handing over their identity until they choose to. Your data is yours: when there is nothing to harvest and no number to cold-call, the most common entry point for property scammers is simply closed.

Scam red flags versus what is normal

How can I protect myself? A quick checklist

1. Confirm all bank details by phone on a trusted number, and never trust a change sent by email or text.
2. Sign up for HM Land Registry's free Property Alert, especially if your home is empty, rented, mortgage-free or you live abroad.
3. Have any buyer's proof of funds verified through your agent or solicitor.
4. Never pay an upfront fee for a guaranteed buyer, a listing or a valuation.
5. Guard your personal details and prefer services that let you compare valuations without giving up your identity first.
6. If anything feels rushed or secret, stop and verify before you move money or sign.

None of this needs to make selling or buying feel frightening. The scams are real, but they rely on speed, secrecy and a moment of trust in the wrong message, and a calm habit of checking removes almost all of their power.

Fraud relies on urgency. The single most protective thing you can do is slow down and confirm before you move money or sign anything.