HM Land Registry recorded 55 attempted property hijack frauds in the year to March 2026

HM Land Registry recorded 55 cases of owner-impersonation fraud between April 2025 and March 2026, according to figures released under a Freedom of Information request. Fraudsters use forged documents to sell, mortgage or transfer homes they do not own, with mortgage-free, rented-out or long-empty properties most exposed. For owners in those groups, signing up to HM Land Registry's free property alert service is the practical defence. The numbers remain small against roughly a million transactions a year — rare, but severe when it lands.