How to avoid getting scammed out of your home or becoming a victim of land fraud

• The FBI said 11,500 people lost a total of $350 million to real-estate scams in 2021, up 64% from 2020.
• Home-title theft, in which fraudsters pose as property owners to sell real estate, can be prevented.
• An attorney and a theft victim share preventative tips, from getting MLS alerts to monitoring mail.

In March, Arizona resident William Gordon's 3 1/3-acre undeveloped property in Tucson was sold without his knowledge.

He eventually got the property back, but at the cost of a few thousand dollars and a major headache.