Artificial intelligence is now being used in real estate fraud here in South Florida, and it almost cost one local man his savings. 7’s Heather Walker investigates. Udi Levi decided at 19 years of age that he wanted to invest in real estate. Udi Levi, first-time buyer: “I’ve been looking for a while now for an investment, kind of to put my money towards it to develop in the future, and my dad came to me with this land.” The land was this vacant lot in a neighborhood off of Dixie Highway in Hallandale Beach. His dad is a real estate broker. He learned about the property when someone reached out — wanting to sell it. Josh Mor, real estate broker: “Saying I would love you to sell my property. I said that’s fine let’s get on a call. She said, ‘I’m deaf, I can’t hear, I have an issue problem, let’s text.’ I said, ‘OK.'” He asked for two forms of identification to prove she was indeed the owner. When he looked up the property records, the IDs matched. Josh Mor: “Matches the address, matches the passport.” He agreed to sell the land, listing it for $60,000. Udi Levi: “We offered them cash, $52,000 and they accepted it.” Heather Walker “So you thought you were winning?” Udi Levi: “Exactly”‘ The buyer said she lived out of state. So Florida Title & Trust, which was handling the closing, required a Zoom call to see the owner and make sure she wanted to sell. Lauren Michelle Albrecht, founder, Florida Title & Trust: “Just having a normal closing. Somebody wanted to buy a piece of land, and we’re here to make it happen.” Prospective buyer: “Hello.” At first, the Zoom was going fine. But then something seemed off. Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “That’s a video, no?” Lauren says the woman on the call looked like the pictures on the license and passport. But she wasn’t acting normally. Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “Margaret.” They tried different commands. Josh Mor: “If you can hear us, can you raise your right hand, please?” Lauren says they quickly realized it was an AI-generated image. Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “I caught it, but that doesn’t stop them from going to another realtor or another title company and trying it with somebody else.” Both Miami Dade Police and the Broward Sheriff’s Office tell us this is the first time they have seen where AI is being used in fraud, but it won’t be the last. It’s a good warning for property owners. Lauren Michelle Albrecht: “I think just everybody needs to open their eyes, and unfortunately, I don’t think any property is safe.” In this case, we tracked the picture back to a missing woman from California. Turns out the real owner died. Her niece has been paying the taxes, and the property is not for sale. Udi says he’s lucky his title company caught the scam, or he would have been out $52,000. Udi Levi: “You really just got to be careful.” He is still looking for the right property, but says the next closing will be in person. Heather Walker, 7News CONTACT 7 INVESTIGATES:[email protected]