Black re altors: how do they work and who are they?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Huge sums are involved in real estate transactions. No wonder there are so many unclean hands who want to get warm on this. After all, you don’t need to produce or invent anything - he pulled off a cunning scheme and was left with an amount exceeding the annual earnings of some citizens. A special term has been coined for such scammers. So, who are black re altors, how do their schemes work?

Who are they?

Black re altors are scammers who commit criminal acts in the real estate market. Sometimes this is one re altor who has knowledge in housing law. Sometimes it's a group of people. Often a special “fed” notary is in collusion with them, for example, to fix the legal capacity when making a transaction for a person in a state of alcoholic or drug intoxication. A specialist who cares about his reputation will not do this, but the assistants of scammers are not particularly worried about this.

The history of black re altors

Scammers of such a flight appeared with the collapse of the Soviet Union. State property became private, and residents massively rushed to carry out various operations with it - to buy, change, privatize, divide into shares, etc. Most often they did not have knowledge of the law, so they turned, as they themselves thought, to specialists. It was then, in the mid-90s, that in the minds of dishonest citizens, plans were ripe for how to make money “out of thin air”.

Forewarned is forearmed

Of course, at first glance you don’t understand that black re altors are dealing with you. How do these scammers work? What should you pay close attention to when making real estate transactions? What schemes do black re altors use? How do they work when selling an apartment or when renting? Let's consider these questions in more detail.

Work by proxy

There is nothing terrible about working in a power of attorney. A general power of attorney is a legal means to act on a transaction on behalf of the owner. But there are several pitfalls here. So, black re altor schemes in this case.

For example, after the completion of the transaction, it may turn out that the power of attorney at the time of the transaction has already been revoked. That is, the owner actually signed such a power of attorney, and then withdrew it. Accordingly, all actions that were carried out using this power of attorney will be invalidated. Of course, you are obliged to return the money for the purchase. But this process can take years.

To be safe, be sure to check if the power of attorney is valid in the Register of Canceled Powers of Attorney at the Notary Chamber.

Well, insist on the presence of the owner at the time of the transaction. If representatives of the second party in every possible way refuse to provide you with a person “alive”, citing the fact that he is sick or is in another country, beware.

Working with apartments "by inheritance"

Recently received inheritance is another situation that black re altors like to deal with. How our laws work, these swindlers know perfectly well and use it to their advantage.

So, if the property is inherited and less than 3 years have passed since the entry - this situation is at risk. The fact is that within three years people who you did not even know about can claim their rights to this apartment. Often these are adopted or illegitimate children. And the transaction may be invalidated.

The only thing left is to explain the situation to the heir and, putting pressure on human greed, carry out the operation again as quickly as possible, at a reduced price, and put a rather large amount in your pocket.

From the last: dealing with bankrupts

Recently, our country adopted a bankruptcy law. Naturally, black re altors immediately reacted to the new bill. How do they work in this case?

And they simply take advantage of our citizens' ignorance of the essence of the law. It contains some points on which the apartment can be withdrawn from the owner. Fraudsters in these cases always try to complete the transaction as quickly as possible, which means they significantly underestimate its real value.

Those who fall for the "tasty morsel" can expect severe disappointment. If the court decides that the property was intentionally withdrawn from the general bankruptcy estate, the apartment will be taken away from the buyers. Of course, they can always sue a bankrupt seller and take their place with him in the long queue.

Working with mentally unstable and unhe althy people

This category is a favorite for scammers to work with. Being good psychologists, they perfectly know how to ingratiate themselves with trust. And while most people are prudent in everything that concerns their money, and show reasonable caution, the categories of the mentally ill, addicted to alcohol or drugs are the most vulnerable.

Information to fraudsters is often leaked by social services, which, because of their work, are aware of the problems of their wards.

So what do black re altors do when dealing with a mentally unstable person?

1. Option one. Carry out a sale and purchase transaction. Here they need their own notary, who will record the alleged legitimacy of the transaction. The owner of an apartment, having, for example, a mental retardation, signs a contract of sale and signs for allegedly receiving money. It is clear that he does not see any means, often not even realizing that the papers on which he signs are connected withreal estate.
2. Second option. fictitious marriages. This option shows how black re altors operate when dealing with chronic alcoholics or drug addicts. There are cases when such a sick person was married and after that they began to actively get drunk either with cheap alcohol, or they supplied hard drugs, expecting an overdose. After the death of the unfortunate wife, she takes over the property as an inheritance and shares the profits with her accomplices.
3. Third option. Selling an apartment for a dose or a minimum amount. Here the case concerns drug addicts who are in the stage of withdrawal. At this moment, a person is ready for inadequate actions, and black re altors come to the rescue. Fraudsters buy property for ridiculous amounts that you can get a dose of. The drug addict signs all the papers, often selling shares in the parents' apartments and thus providing them with global problems.

If your family has a relative who has problems with alcohol, drugs, gambling, if he is a mentally unstable person or a citizen with a certain disease, be as vigilant as possible, do not leave everything to chance. Recognizing a person as incompetent, of course, would solve the problem, but this is not always possible. Yes, and there are cases when, filing for deprivation of legal capacity, relatives pursue their own, by no means the most pure goals. Therefore, the courts grant such petitions with increased attention.

Important to know! If a relative is registered in a psycho-neurological dispensary, this does not mean at all that he is recognized as incompetent.

Therefore, if there is no possibility to recognize a person as incompetent, just show maximum participation and attention to his life. And another tip: take away from such a relative all the original documents on real estate. If the scammers need to make copies, this will slow down the process.

The rental market: room for criminal creativity

At the moment, a little less than half of the country's population lives in rented apartments. There is constant movement in this market - people move, vacate housing, rent it again, and so on. The issue price is lower than on the sale and purchase market, but transactions occur more often. No wonder black re altors have chosen this area as well.

How do they work when renting an apartment? Here are some common patterns:

1. A person rents a house for a long time, signs an agreement with the owner of the apartment. And after a short time it turns out that there are several owners of the apartment, and the other participants in the transaction do not agree with it. The tenant pays, for a minute, three large sums one-time - for the first month of residence, a deposit and re altor's fees.
2. Several landlords leave a deposit for the apartment. It seems that you have found the perfect option, and even at an inexpensive price? You leave a deposit and after a short period of time you arrive with the remaining amount and things, and here is a surprise - there are still a wagon and a small cart that are settling in. And they all left a deposit. The owner of the apartment throws up his hands - I don’t know anything, in general, rent out housingdidn't intend to. This is especially true in large cities. So, for example, there are black re altors in Moscow. How these schemes work, they have long known. And they always do not mind getting rich on several pledges.
3. The re altor himself rents an apartment and, under the guise of an owner, rents it out to several people. Having received collateral and deposit amounts, he “reels the bait”. All the data that he provided to the owner of the apartment, most often turn out to be fake.

Signs that should alert the transaction participant

These should include:

• If real estate has been sold and bought frequently lately.
• The owner is an elderly man.
• If the price of real estate is greatly underestimated - from 30% to 80%.
• The second party to the transaction seeks to carry out all transactions urgently, for example, under the pretext of going abroad.
• If there are children in the family who are discharged to nowhere, without a new place of registration.

If you experience one of the "symptoms", be vigilant. Perhaps they are trying to deceive you.