New Scam Alert: AI Real Estate Fraud

People have many fears when it comes to artificial intelligence. We’ve all seen those sci-fi movies where robots go rogue like in iRobot or The Terminator. Then there’s the fear of AI taking our jobs. Sure, we love the idea of a robot doing our boring paperwork, but when it starts asking for a raise, we draw the line! Now, there's a new fear people are finding out about. This is your new scam alert and PSA to look out for AI real estate fraud.

AI real estate fraud is something new some residents in South Florida are dealing with that could start arising around the country. The scam is so elaborate, that it almost took Udi Levi's life savings. Luckily, Levi smartened up when things started to get "weird". However, there are others out there that were not as fortunate.

It all started when Levi's father, who is a real estate broker, was contacted about the property in question which was a vacant lot located off Dixie Highway in Hallandale Beach. Udi’s father knew his son was interested in investing in real estate, so he forwarded the information to him so that he could take advantage of the deal. That's when Levi got the first red flag. The seller, a woman claiming to be the owner, told Levi she only communicated through text due to hearing difficulties.

“I agreed to a call after she requested it,” said Josh Mor, the broker involved. “She provided two forms of ID that matched the property records.”

Feeling confident, Josh listed the land for $60,000. Udi, eager to seal the deal, made a cash offer of $52,000, which the seller accepted. It seemed to be a done deal, but their were some snags. Since the seller claimed they lived out of state, Florida Title & Trust required a Zoom meeting to confirm her identity before finalizing the sale.

Initially, the Zoom call appeared normal. However, things soon took a strange turn. While the woman resembled her identification photos, Mor started noticing something odd about the seller's behavior. That's when he started to ask questions.

“Can you raise your right hand if you can hear us?” Josh prompted.

That is when it quickly became apparent that they were dealing with an AI-generated image. According to WSVN, the real owner died, and her niece has been paying the taxes. The property was in fact, not for sale. Both Miami Dade Police and the Broward Sheriff’s Office confirmed this is the first known instance of AI being used for real estate fraud, signaling a concerning trend.

So look out everyone. They may not be killer robots, but AI could be plotting to take your savings. If you think a deal is too good to be true, it probably is.

Source: WSVN

Yes, you read the headline right! "Move to this Florida city if you're looking for a job." Everyone seems to want to live in Florida and I don't blame them. I love living in St. Petersburg! The weather is nice, the people are friendly and I have a great job. St. Petersburg is not the Florida city with the hottest job market, but you will find out what that city is below.

At this point in my life, I will only move for work. As I said above, I love living in St. Petersburg. Besides finding a good man in this city, everything is great! I want to know what motivates you to move to certain cities. Is it work? Good school system? low crime rate? Feel free to email me Babs@wild941.com.

If a good school district is what you are looking for, then I would move to Sarasota County. According to Niche.com, Sarasota County is the best school district in Florida.  If low crime rate is what you are looking for I would move to Marco Island. Yes, very pricey but according to Safewise.com, it is the safest Florida city to live in.

So, If you are looking for a job you should move to this Florida city! Have any idea what city it is? You will soon find out. 3 Florida cities actually made the  top 5 list for having the hottest job market in the United States. This list was created by The Wall Street Journal who worked with Moody Analytics. They assessed about 380 metro areas, and the rankings were based on 5 factors: Labor-force participation rate, Unemployment rate, Size of the labor force and wages and changes to employment levels.

Salt Lake City comes in at number one as the U.S. city with the hottest job market, but in this article we are focusing on Florida. Below you will find the Florida city you should move to if you are looking for a job.

According to Wall street Journal, Tampa has the 4th hottest job market in the United States, but the 3rd hottest job market in Florida. I live here and I can agree. There are so many companies coming to the area and they are looking for employees. I still hear complaints about the wages, but you can for sure find a job here. The unemployment rate is in Tampa is 3%.

Orlando has the 3rd hottest job market in the United States and the 2nd hottest job market in Florida. There are for sure many jobs available in Orlando. Disney, Universal and other parks are always hiring. Not to mention all the hotels and resort they have in Orlando as well.

Jacksonville is the Florida city you should move to if you are looking for work. According to the Wall Street Journal, Jacksonville has the 2nd hottest job market in the United states, but the 1st hottest job market in Florida. Do you live in Jacksonville? Do you agree or disagree with this. Feel free to email me Babs@wild941.com