Australian homes targeted by property scam

There are calls for tighter identity checks for people selling property in Australia, after several homeowners have been conned by so-called Nigerian scams.

The fraud involves identity theft, and using faxes and emails to try to sell a property without the true owner’s knowledge.

The latest attempt, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, was foiled soon before the apartment was due to be auctioned.

It followed two successful frauds in Perth.

In all three cases, the real owners were living in Africa — via redwolf.newsvine.com