Fraud and Real Estate for some reason go together like peanut butter and jelly.  It sounds like there are many people who try to impersonate sellers, and it's up to title companies to figure this out.  This article from American title association talks about the dangers of all real estate transactions, but apparently (as they state), land is the #1 culprit. The lesson is to use a title company when you buy or sell.  I've certainly run across sellers who are trying to sell land they don't own.  Get title insurance and use a local title company.  Its your best protection against fraudsters.