Even the notary did not detect this scam. The victim lost money due to a collector’s ID

You can buy an apartment (or lose your own) from a fraudster who uses the so-called collector’s ID card. The criminal will take the money and disappear, and the problem falls on the victims. What is this scam?

He bought an apartment from a fraudster. He lost 150 thousand. zlotys

A method of fraud, based on a case that dates back to 2021. There was a story about a man who tried to buy real estate from the company. On the day of the transaction, a man pretending to be the president of the company went to a meeting with the buyer and the notary, and after paying for the transaction (PLN 150,000), the documents were signed and the purchase was finalized.

The problem arose when the real president of the company noticed that a property belonging to his company had been sold without his consent. The case went to court and the entry was removed from the land and mortgage register. As it turned out, a fraudster pretending to be the owner of the property presented his identity to the notary with a false (or “collector’s”) ID card. He also signed the documents consistent with the one on the ID document used.

Upon discovering what had happened, the notary filed a crime report, but the victim of the practice, i.e. the buyer of the property, demanded compensation from the notary in an amount that would cover his loss (PLN 150,000). However, the courts of both the first and second instance found that holding the notary liable would be unjustified because it is difficult to require him to have specialized knowledge and experience in recognizing false documents. Especially since the so-called collector’s documents are almost indistinguishable from the original ones.

How not to be deceived?

This was one of the most famous, but not the only, cases of fraud in which the criminal used a collector’s ID (and practically anyone could obtain one for a few hundred zlotys and with any data). After accepting the money and completing the transaction, the fraudster disappeared. The problem had to be solved by the rightful owner, and the buyer was left without money and without real estate.

It is true that it is illegal, but such a business can still flourish somewhere on the black market. The problem is that it is practically difficult to protect yourself against such fraud. However, to increase your chances, it is worth taking care of your privacy.

First of all, we should not share photos and scans of our documents, especially our ID cards, unless it is absolutely necessary. We should keep our personal data (including PESEL and signature template) secret, and the loss of any document should be reported to the office as soon as possible (and the case of theft to the police).