Fraud

Spot Straw Buyers Before They Burn You

By |2025-09-15T06:25:05-05:00September 17th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Assignment layering and masked entities are turning routine deals into high-risk traps. Straw buyer fraud in hard money lending often reveals itself through contract assignments within wholesale transactions. Fraudsters often try to obscure their identity by layering multiple assignments, making it difficult to trace who originally entered into the purchase agreement and who ultimately controls [...]

By |2025-09-15T06:25:05-05:00September 17th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Transactional Funding Fraud Nearly Killed Us

By |2025-09-01T19:46:14-05:00September 3rd, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Our private lending startup almost lost more than half a million dollars to fraud. Here’s what you can learn from our experience. Ternus is a young private lending company that prides itself on operating differently. We’re investor-focused, values-driven, and transparent. But in March, we came terrifyingly close to losing $645,000 in a sophisticated wire fraud [...]

By |2025-09-01T19:46:14-05:00September 3rd, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Appraised to Fail

By |2025-08-05T10:06:18-05:00August 20th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

From comps to construction costs, lenders who question everything stand the best chance of protecting themselves from fraud. Private lenders face a material risk of fraud, and the cases have become increasingly more sophisticated. Mix in the complicated nature of lending for renovation or construction in the residential space, and you have a recipe for [...]

By |2025-08-05T10:06:18-05:00August 20th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Spot (and Stop!) Real Estate Fraud

By |2025-07-07T15:43:08-05:00July 9th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

From subtle name alterations to false ownership claims, train (and re-train ... then train again) your team on the biggest bottom-line-busting misrepresentations. In the labyrinthine world of investment real estate, the complexities of transactions provide fertile ground for sophisticated forms of fraud. Cybercrimes (phishing, wire fraud, etc.), flipping/equity stripping schemes, identity fraud, appraisal/valuation fraud schemes, [...]

By |2025-07-07T15:43:08-05:00July 9th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

How to Combat Social Engineering

By |2025-05-23T09:17:14-05:00June 11th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

Using deceptive practices to strike the weakest point of your operations—you and your team—attackers gain unauthorized access to sensitive financial data. Social engineering is a manipulation technique attackers use to exploit human psychology and trust. It differs from traditional hacking methods by bypassing technical barriers. It poses substantial risks for private lenders, including unauthorized access [...]

By |2025-05-23T09:17:14-05:00June 11th, 2025|Fraud|0 Comments

It’s Not Security Theater: Background Check Essentials

By |2025-05-09T09:51:44-05:00December 4th, 2024|Fraud, Fund Management|0 Comments

If background verification is just another checkbox in your due diligence process, you’re likely exposing your fund to unnecessary risk. Transparency and accountability are more than just industry buzzwords—they’re essential for protecting both funds and investors. As such, thorough background checks and due diligence reviews aren’t merely best practices; they’re nonnegotiable. These processes act as [...]

By |2025-05-09T09:51:44-05:00December 4th, 2024|Fraud, Fund Management|0 Comments

Your Best Defense Against Commercial Real Estate Fraud

By |2024-11-18T12:15:07-06:00November 20th, 2024|Fraud|0 Comments

Market pressures mean more fraudsters and more mistakes, but there are effective strategies to combat this growing trend. In the complex world of commercial real estate, the threat of fraud looms large, impacting stakeholders at every level - from investors and developers to lenders and attorneys. The scale of fraud in real estate transactions is [...]

By |2024-11-18T12:15:07-06:00November 20th, 2024|Fraud|0 Comments

A First-Hand Account of Our New Fraud Reality

By |2025-05-09T09:38:45-05:00July 24th, 2024|Fraud, Operations|0 Comments

Discover how to safeguard you and your clients by avoiding common fraud tactics in the private lending industry. We often live with a false sense of safety when it comes to fraud: We know it can happen, but we don’t ever think it will happen to “me.” The blunt reality is fraud is happening every [...]

By |2025-05-09T09:38:45-05:00July 24th, 2024|Fraud, Operations|0 Comments

Enough of Fraud!

By |2025-09-16T10:53:34-05:00July 19th, 2024|Editorial, Fraud|0 Comments

AAPL has formed a member-led fraud steering committee and launched additional initiates to combat fraud in the private lending industry. Because technology has made it easier than ever to perpetuate all kinds of fraud, lenders must defend themselves on multiple fronts. Borrower fraud is one area where our industry stands to lose the most. Whether [...]

By |2025-09-16T10:53:34-05:00July 19th, 2024|Editorial, Fraud|0 Comments

AAPL to Spearhead Industry’s First Borrower Fraud Steering Committee

By |2025-09-16T11:02:10-05:00April 17th, 2024|Featured, Fraud, News|0 Comments

Kansas City, MO  - In response to panel conversation during the April 11-12 Fortra Innovate Conference in Newport Beach, CA, the American Association of Private Lenders announced a new effort. During the hallmark panel on market projections, leaders discussed a growing need to combat rampant borrower fraud, highlighting this fraud class as one of their [...]

By |2025-09-16T11:02:10-05:00April 17th, 2024|Featured, Fraud, News|0 Comments

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