A Maltese citizen informed this site that her neighbour went to their field and found it confiscated. They found out that the piece of land is no longer theirs but is now under a new name, a new owner, a new third party. This is land fraud.
Land fraud happens when scammers, with no ownership rights over a piece of property, will find a window to the law and practise unauthorized law – perhaps – or with the consent and assistance of professionals in return of some palm greasing while they manage to get hold over a piece of land, usually undeveloped, either to take hold of it or else they might typically indicate to estate agents that they need to sell quickly. Abroad, land scammers may have information about the property from publicly available sources or even from a hacked email account. In Malta, being a small island, other methods might be possible.
This land owner was not involved in a court case or any disputes and is now not willing to take it up to court for a lengthy bureaucratic process during which they will still not enjoy their field, without forgetting the extra costs incurred of making use of the service of a lawyer.
What is going on with identity thefts, addresses thefts and now land fraud?
Forged documents and identity theft mean criminals can steal your property.