Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect the corrected Senate Bill.
Texas has enacted new laws to combat a growing wave of property scams that have left homeowners and renters vulnerable to fraud. The legislation makes real property theft and fraud criminal offenses while strengthening protections for consumers.
Senate Bill 15 now classifies "real property theft" and "real property fraud" as crimes in Texas, giving prosecutors clear legal tools to pursue anyone attempting to steal homes through fraudulent paperwork. The law represents a significant step forward in addressing deed theft, where scammers illegally transfer property ownership through fake documents.
"We are seeing an uptick in frauds and scams in every different way," Corpus Christi Realtor David Garcia said.
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The new legislation also requires photo identification for all property filings and empowers county clerks to reject suspicious documents. This gives victims faster options to challenge fraudulent deeds and protect their property rights.
"At the end of the day it's about protecting consumers from their money, from theft from scams," officials said.
Garcia supports the enhanced penalties and says many property scams begin online, long before any paperwork is filed.
"I'm glad to hear that were going to put the hammer down on these people and they will face criminal charges," Garcia said.
Garcia explained that scammers exploit the emotional nature of real estate transactions to make people more susceptible to fraud.
"They know buying and selling a home is very emotional and when they can attach an emotional connection to the transaction people are more susceptible," Garcia said.
The schemes often involve fake rental listings, wire fraud, and phony video conference links. Garcia recently encountered a couple who contacted him asking for keys to a home they believed they had leased after falling victim to a scam.
"My response was 'did you send them money?' They said yes they did," Garcia said.
"What people are doing is they are finding cute homes, they are re-marking on social media and other avenues and have a very attractive lease amount," Garcia said.
Garcia recommends watching for several red flags when dealing with property transactions:
- Demands for cash payments with no bank involvement
- Creating urgency or pressure to act quickly
- Refusing to meet face-to-face
- Not allowing in-person property viewings
"So if it looks too good to be true it probably is," Garcia said.
The new laws provide Texans with stronger legal recourse against property fraud, but experts emphasize that staying vigilant remains the best protection against scams.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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