REsides, Inc. has announced the launch of Property Shield Ownership Verification for its subscribers, becoming the first MLS in the country to offer ownership verification, giving its agents and brokers the ability to confirm that a seller is the true owner of record.
According to a release, the new service builds on the fraud detection protection REsides already provides to all subscribers through its partnership with Property Shield, which monitors listings for fraudulent activity, unauthorized use and scams. According to the release, ownership verification helps to stop seller impersonators before they list.
In a public service announcement issued June 16, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center warned that criminals are impersonating owners of vacant property parcels and attempting to sell those properties without the owners’ knowledge or consent, using fake IDs, spoofed email addresses and internet-generated phone numbers to deceive real estate agents and title companies. According to FBI reporting, vacant land fraud has increased 500% over the last four years, and real estate fraud caused an estimated $1.3 billion in losses between 2019 and 2023.
Additionally, a 2025 National Association of Realtors® survey found that 62% of title fraud cases involve vacant land, with parcels owned by out of state investors or recently deceased individuals among the most frequent targets.
“Seller impersonation has become one of the most damaging issues facing our industry, and our subscribers are on the front lines of it every day,” said Colette Stevenson, CEO of REsides. “By becoming the first MLS in the country to offer ownership verification, we are giving our subscribers something no one else has: The confidence that the person on the other side of a listing agreement is the rightful owner of the property.”
According to REsides, Property Shield Ownership Verification confirms identity and ownership through a three step process:
- Biometric scan. A live facial recognition and liveness scan is matched against a government issued ID, with AI analysis that instantly detects fake or stolen documents.
- Deed and title cross check. Property Shield queries official county tax records in real time and cross references the verified identity against the registered owner of record, flagging any discrepancy immediately. The review also surfaces key property information, including liens and easements.
- Verified clearance. When identity and ownership match, a report is issued. A mismatch halts the process instantly and the agent is notified right away.
“REsides has consistently led the industry in protecting its subscribers, first with fraud detection and now as the first MLS in the nation to offer Ownership Verification,” said Alexander Fahsel, CEO of Property Shield. “Together we are stopping impersonators before they list, so agents can focus on serving real clients with real properties.”
For more information, visit resides.io.
