ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — A viewer from First Coast News has recently highlighted a worrisome increase in real estate and identity fraud within Florida.

In a message to the Ask Anthony team, a man named Peter, who had just relocated from another state to St. Johns County, shared his story of being deceived after replying to an online rental listing:

I responded to an advertisement for a rental home. The person claimed to be the owner and provided the code to the lockbox so I could tour the property. I proceeded to send him money for the deposit, the first month’s rent, and additional charges. A few days after moving in, the Sheriff’s office arrived, informing me that the home was actually rented through a property management company.

Unfortunately, Peter’s story isn’t unique.

During Tuesday’s Ask Anthony LIVE streaming show, Anthony Austin spoke with Miami-based attorney Ellen Patterson, who is seeing a growing number of identity and property fraud cases. 

In one case, a scammer posed as an authorized business representative and altered official records on Florida’s Sunbiz.org to sell land he didn’t own. By the time the real owner found out, the sale had already gone through.

In another case, a fraudster used a fake Venezuelan passport and a deepfake-style video call to impersonate an overseas property owner, tricking lenders and buyers before the deception was discovered.

“You can Google what a Venezuelan passport looks like. Fraudsters can take that image off the internet and use it to create the fake passport,” Patterson added.

Patterson urges individuals and business owners to monitor their records closely and verify identities in any real estate transaction.

The full conversation is available on First Coast News+, where viewers can learn how to spot red flags, protect their personal and business information and avoid falling victim to these increasingly sophisticated schemes.

If you’ve got a problem you just can’t solve, email Ask Anthony at AskAnthony@firstcoastnews.com.