We want to make you aware of an emerging form of real estate fraud involving fraudulently altered—and in some cases completely fabricated—property surveys.
Because today’s advanced graphic software and artificial intelligence tools can make altered documents appear authentic, fraudulent surveys may be difficult for non-surveyors to identify. Even experienced professionals may not immediately recognize alterations.
Recent reports have identified situations in which surveys were modified to conceal or misrepresent property conditions. In one instance, a seller removed a pool to an existing survey and represented the document as having been officially updated. In another, a completely fabricated survey omitted a structures encroaching onto an easement.
Potential Red Flags
When reviewing a survey, be mindful of:
• Inconsistencies in fonts, text size, spacing, or formatting.
• Misaligned letters or numbers that appear to float, lean, or differ from surrounding text.
• Smudges, white-out marks, faint lines, or other signs of erased or replaced information.
• A surveyor’s signature or seal that appears misaligned, copied and pasted, or disconnected from the document.
• Differences between the legal description and the property depicted on the survey.
• Missing easements or other recorded matters that should be shown or noted.
• File creation and modification dates that do not reasonably correspond with the survey’s signing or revision date.
Our Recommendation
The most effective way to help prevent survey fraud is to confirm the survey’s authenticity directly with the licensed surveyor.
Whenever possible, obtain the survey directly from the surveyor and obtain a signed and sealed original. If the survey is provided by another party, consider independently verifying the surveyor’s contact information and confirming that the document is authentic. Do not rely solely on the contact information printed on the survey itself.
As with wire fraud and other forms of real estate fraud, awareness and independent verification are important safeguards. If anything about a survey appears irregular or inconsistent, it is always best to ask questions and verify the document before relying on it in connection with a transaction.