As scams and cybercrime continue their rapid rise, military veterans, active-duty service members, and their families are becoming targets not only for financial identity theft but also for fraud that threatens ownership and equity tied to their homes. Investigators warn that criminals are often pursuing two outcomes: stealing a property’s equity through fraudulent loans or liens, or attempting to sell the home outright at a discounted price for a fast payoff. For veterans who have built years of equity, the financial damage can extend far beyond traditional identity theft and escalate into full asset loss.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), nationwide there were 58,141 reported victims of real estate fraud with $1.3 billion in reported losses between 2019 and 2023, and within the Boston Division alone over 2,300 victims lost more than $61 million in the same period, illustrating how widespread the crime has become.
“Properties are being stolen and used for their equity,” says Art Pfizenmayer, retired FBI Special Agent and Senior Advisor. “Even if a County Recorder knows a document is fake, the County is legally required to record it. Between gaps in our legal system and the expansion of public records on the internet, these crimes are getting easier and easier to commit. Because victims generally don’t know about it until it’s too late, they’re left with a legal, financial, and emotional nightmare to unwind.”
Many veterans own property outright or through VA loans, which, combined with exposed personal data from breaches and other digital scams, creates a fertile ground for more complex fraud attempts. Experts say veterans are frequently targeted because criminals perceive them as financially stable and less likely to actively monitor digital records tied to their identity.
Common risk factors include:
- Homeownership with significant equity
- Predictable income from pensions or benefits
- Trust in institutional communication
- Lower monitoring of public property records
- Identity details reused in social engineering scams
While traditional real estate fraud complaints have fluctuated year by year, the risk profile continues to expand and concentrate in high-value property segments. According to the 2025 Cotality Mortgage Application Fraud Risk Index, roughly one in every 118 mortgage applications nationwide shows indicators of potential fraud, but the risk rises sharply in certain categories, with one in 45 investment property applications and one in 27 multi-family applications flagged for fraud signals. Analysts say this concentration suggests criminals are increasingly targeting transactions tied to higher equity and income potential. For veterans, who are statistically more likely to hold equity after years of service, that concentration represents a disproportionate financial threat.
The scams themselves are evolving. What once looked like isolated identity theft is increasingly connected to asset-based fraud. The most common schemes affecting veterans include:
- Impersonation scams pretending to be VA or government agencies
- Pension or benefits adjustment fraud
- Identity theft after data breaches
- Romance and caregiver exploitation scams
- Property and title-related fraud
- Loan or lien fraud targeting home equity
Experts point to artificial intelligence (AI) as an accelerating factor. AI tools can generate convincing documents, automate phishing, and mimic identity attributes at a scale and speed that outpace many traditional verification systems.
“AI is not inherently dangerous, but when misused it dramatically lowers the barrier to complex forgery,” says James Feld, Director of Operations at Home Title Lock. “The same technology we use responsibly to analyze title records and detect irregularities can also be abused to generate fraudulent filings and false identities faster than ever.”
Because these crimes blend cyber and real-world consequences, prevention now requires proactive monitoring. Security specialists recommend that veterans and their families:
- Treat identity exposure as a long-term risk, not a one-time event
- Monitor financial and public property records tied to their name
- Freeze credit and review filings after suspicious activity
- Use multi-factor authentication on financial and legal accounts
- Involve a trusted family member in oversight if needed
- Consider ongoing property record monitoring, either personally or through a professional monitoring service, since fraudulent filings often go unnoticed without active oversight
When fraud is discovered, speed matters. Victims should:
- Report immediately to the FTC and VA fraud hotlines
- Document suspicious transactions and filings
- Contact county recorders if property fraud is suspected
- Seek legal assistance early
- Work with identity and title restoration professionals
For veterans and their families, protecting personal and property records requires proactive awareness. Monitoring public record filings, establishing fraud alerts, and securing identity information are critical first steps. When fraud is discovered, recovery often involves legal documentation, coordination with county recorder offices, and specialized title restoration support to correct fraudulent changes and safeguard ownership. Companies that specialize in title monitoring and restoration, including firms such as Home Title Lock, say the recovery process is often administrative and legal in nature, and early detection significantly reduces the financial and emotional toll. Experts emphasize that delays can compound legal complexity and increase long-term costs for victims.
