(WSVN) – Artificial intelligence is currently being used in a real estate scam here in South Florida that nearly wiped out a local man’s life savings. 7’s Heather Walker investigates.
At the age of 19, Woody Levy decided he wanted to invest in real estate.
First-time buyer Woody Levy: “I had been looking for an investment for some time to invest in future development, and my father came to me with this land. ”
The land was a vacant lot in a neighborhood off Dixie Highway in Hallandale Beach. His father is a real estate agent. He learned about the property when someone contacted him about selling it.
Josh Moe, Real Estate Broker: “She wants me to sell her my property. I said, okay, let’s call her. She said, ‘I’m deaf, I can’t hear, I have a problem. Let’s text.” I said, “Okay.” ”
He asked for two forms of identification to prove that she was indeed the owner. He checked property records and found a match.
Josh Mo: “The addresses and passports match.”
He agreed to sell the land for $60,000.
Woody Levy: “We offered them cash, $52,000, and they accepted.”
Heather Walker: “So you thought you could win?”
Woody Levy: “That’s right.”
The buyer said he lives out of state. So Florida Title & Trust, which was handling the closing, needed a Zoom call to meet with the owner and confirm his intent to sell.
Lauren Michelle Albrecht, founder of Florida Title & Trust, said: Someone wanted to buy land and we’re here to make it happen. ”
Potential buyer: “Hello.”
At first, Zoom worked well. But then something seemed off.
Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “That’s a video, right?”
Lauren said the woman who answered the phone looked like her driver’s license or passport photo. But she wasn’t acting as usual.
Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “Margaret”.
They tried different commands.
Josh Moe: “If you can hear me, could you please raise your right hand?”
Lauren says she immediately realized it was an AI-generated image.
Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “I understand that, but that doesn’t stop them from going to another real estate agent or another title company and trying with someone else.”
Miami-Dade Police and the Broward Sheriff’s Office both said this is the first time they’ve seen AI being used in a scam, but it won’t be the last. This is a good warning for property owners.
Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “I think everyone needs to wake up. Unfortunately, I don’t think any property is safe.”
In this case, we used photo tracking to track down a missing woman from California. It turned out that the real owner had passed away. Her niece pays the taxes and the property is not for sale.
Woody says he was lucky the title company caught the fraud, otherwise he would have lost $52,000.
Woody Levy: “You have to be really careful.”
He’s still looking for the right property, but says his next closing will be in person.
Heather Walker, 7News
Contact 7 investigates:
305-627-CLUE
954-921-CLUE
[email protected]
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