Artificial intelligence is fuelling a new wave of real estate fraud — and the scams are becoming alarmingly convincing. Deepfake video calls have fooled employees into believing they were speaking with legitimate clients or vendors. In one case, an employee transferred millions of dollars to criminals posing as a trusted partner. In another, AI‑generated documents were so authentic‑looking that a scammer successfully claimed title to a luxury home and sold it out from under its rightful owner.
With powerful AI tools now widely accessible, even inexperienced criminals can mimic seasoned professionals. Fabricated voices, documents, and live video calls are polished enough to pass expert scrutiny, blurring the line between real and fake in ways the industry has never faced before.
The growing threat of real estate fraud
AI is accelerating the sophistication and frequency of real estate scams. A recent survey found that four out of five Canadian businesses have already faced an AI‑enabled attack, and the financial impact of fraud continues to climb each year. For real estate owners and operators, the most common risks are business email compromise and title deed fraud.
Business email compromise occurs when criminals impersonate executives, vendors, or partners to trick employees into sending funds. With AI capable of generating flawless documents, and with only a 30‑second voice clip needed to create a convincing spoofed audio message, it has become dangerously easy for attackers to mimic trusted individuals and redirect payments.
Title deed fraud involves forged or stolen information used to transfer ownership without the true owner’s knowledge. AI‑generated documents make these schemes far more convincing, enabling criminals to target both private homes and commercial properties.
Both forms of fraud are uniquely vulnerable to AI‑driven manipulation, and both are rising in frequency.
5 ways to fight against deepfake scams
Commercial real estate owners and investors must take proactive steps to defend against AI‑enabled fraud. These five measures form a strong foundation:
- Train employees to question digital interactions — A transaction that “looks real” is no longer enough. Staff handling escrow, legal documents, or third‑party payments must understand how easily remote interactions can be faked.
- Verify identities and payment instructions — Face‑to‑face meetings remain the gold standard. Never change payment details based solely on an email, voice message, or video call. Use out‑of‑band authentication for all sensitive requests.
- Establish policies for suspicious behaviour — Employees should know exactly how to respond when a seller refuses to meet, cannot verify identity, or shows inconsistent knowledge of a property. Slow down the process when anything feels off.
- Use technology to detect fraud — AI‑powered monitoring tools can flag anomalies in communications and identify forged documents. Technology can surface the warning signs — but human judgement must make the final call.
- Secure cyber insurance — A comprehensive risk strategy should include monitoring, incident response planning, and cyber insurance to mitigate financial loss if an attack succeeds.
Deepfake‑driven scams may be one of the most pressing challenges facing real estate leaders today, but abandoning digital transactions isn’t realistic. The solution is layered control: verify identities independently, confirm every change in payment instructions, and treat every digital interaction as potentially manipulated until proven otherwise.
About the author
Jen Green is a Commercial Account Executive at HUB International Ontario with over a decade of condominium industry experience, shaped by her roles as a board member, unit owner, and insurance broker. She specializes in condominium insurance, providing clear, practical guidance to boards and property managers on coverage and risk. She also hosts CCI Ontario’s Condos Unplugged video podcast, bringing her governance and community insight to wider industry conversations
