Written by REFATMarch 25, 2026 Ventura County, CA – When someone attempting to commit real estate fraud records a fake document on a property they can’t rightfully claim, the County Recorder’s office provides an important line of defense for the legal property owner. Per state law, the Recorder’s Office, a division of
Written by REFATMay 15, 2025 VENTURA, Calif. – District Attorney Erik Nasarenko announced today that Jonathan Martinez (DOB 03/08/88), of Chino, California, pled guilty on May 8, 2025, to one felony count of unauthorized use of personal identifying information of another. In April 2021, a Thousand Oaks family lost their home in
Written by REFATNovember 8, 2024 The recent sentencing of Jasmine Shante Faniel, also known as Teresa Dennis, for her role in a wire fraud scheme serves as a stark reminder of the increasing threat to real estate transactions. Faniel was sentenced on October 30, 2024, by the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office
Written by REFATSeptember 16, 2024 VENTURA, Calif. – Wire fraud in real estate transactions is rapidly increasing, posing a significant threat to both buyers and sellers. According to the FBI, fraudsters are increasingly employing sophisticated social engineering techniques to infiltrate real estate transactions by impersonating trusted parties such as escrow officers, real
Written by REFATSeptember 12, 2024 Equity skimming is a particularly insidious form of real estate fraud that targets property owners, often those who are already in a vulnerable financial position. This scam involves a fraudulent party taking over a property owner’s mortgage payments, typically with the promise of preventing foreclosure, only to
Written by REFATSeptember 6, 2024 As real estate professionals, we are entrusted with the financial well-being of our clients. This responsibility positions us uniquely to detect and prevent various forms of real estate fraud, including elder financial abuse, equity skimming schemes, abusive foreclosure rescue schemes, and fraudulent loan modifications. These schemes are
Written by REFATAugust 9, 2024 Protecting Elders from Real Estate Fraud: A Guide to Safeguarding Your Assets As our population ages, elder financial abuse has become an increasingly common and troubling issue. One of the most significant threats to seniors’ financial security is real estate fraud. Predators often target older adults, exploiting
Written by REFATJuly 26, 2024 Protect Yourself from Real Estate Fraud: Verify Licenses by Jorge N. DeLeon, REFAT Chair
Written by REFATJuly 18, 2024 The Legal Hotline has received multiple calls from listing agents who, upon listing vacant land, have grown suspicious that the person who signed their listing may not be the rightful owner. This mirrors a national trend where title companies are reporting an increase in scams involving vacant
Written by REFATJuly 13, 2020 VENTURA, California – District Attorney Gregory D. Totten warned today that county residents should be vigilant when using online listing services to secure rental housing. Such services do not typically verify that the person listing a property for rent is actually authorized to do so. This creates
