Most common real estate scams in Peru and how to avoid them

Buying or renting a property in Peru means moving large sums and, almost always, years of savings. The market is full of fraud schemes that grow more sophisticated each year: forged documents, made-up COFOPRI processes, simulated "title clearances", fake platforms. This article covers the most frequent modalities in 2026 and, above all, the checks you should make before paying the first sol.

Fraud 1: fake title clearance

The most expensive scam. The supposed seller presents documents that make the property look cleared, when in fact:

• The land is not registered with SUNARP.
• The registration is in a third party's name.
• There are duplicate registry entries.
• The deed was never recorded despite being signed.

How to prevent it:

1. Request and personally review the Real Estate Registry Certificate (CRI) at SUNARP, issued in the last 7 days.
2. Verify that the entry number matches the electronic record (do not accept just a printed copy).
3. Cross the CRI plan with the physical perimeter plan.
4. If there is any annotation ("matrix property", "sublot not yet independized", "lien", "attachment"), do not sign until it is lifted.
5. Pay only at the public deed signing, never before.

Fraud 2: bogus COFOPRI

Scammers pose as COFOPRI or SUNARP officials and promise to "speed up" titling in exchange for upfront payments. There are also "promoters" selling lots claiming "COFOPRI will title them soon".

How to prevent it:

1. COFOPRI does not charge for mass formalization processes.
2. Check the file's progress directly on the COFOPRI platform or at its offices.
3. Distrust anyone asking for payments to personal accounts for state procedures.
4. Avoid buying lots that do not yet have an individual title recorded with SUNARP.

Fraud 3: ghost rentals

Especially common in Miraflores, Surco, San Isidro and Magdalena, and in university areas of Arequipa, Trujillo and Cusco. The "owner" lists an apartment at an attractive price, claims to be abroad, demands an advance deposit to "reserve" and disappears. Variants:

• Photos copied from legitimate portals.
• PDF contracts sent from domains nearly identical to real agencies.
• "Virtual tour" instead of in-person visit.

How to prevent it:

1. Visit the property in person.
2. Demand to see the owner's DNI and the CRI or self-appraisal proving title.
3. Never transfer to a personal account without a contract signed in person.
4. If the "agency" has no verifiable physical office, rule it out.

Fraud 4: double sale

The same property is sold to two buyers. Whoever registers first at SUNARP wins. Warning signs:

• A seller pressing for private signings or "advance minutes".
• Refusal to go to the notary right after payment.
• Payment to different accounts or in parts "for taxes".

How to prevent it:

1. Block the registry entry with a preventive annotation while the minute is being signed.
2. Do the minute and public deed signing in the same notarial session.
3. Ask the notary to handle the direct registration at SUNARP (notary-registry service).
4. Keep the title number SUNARP returns and track it online.

Fraud 5: unaccredited brokers

Law 29080 created the REAI (Real Estate Agent Registry), but enforcement is loose. Many "agents" collect deposits without belonging to any agency, manipulate offers or disappear after charging exclusivities.

How to prevent it:

1. Check whether the agent is registered with the REAI and belongs to an agency with active SUNAT RUC.
2. Ask for references on closed deals in the last 6 months with SUNARP entry numbers.
3. Read carefully any exclusivity contract: term, penalty clause, protection period.
4. If you are offered a "ridiculously low" price, it probably is.

Fraud 6: lots "with title" in non-developable areas

The Peruvian counterpart of clandestine subdivisions: sellers promise lots with services and recorded title, but the matrix property is in agricultural zoning, ZRE or ANP, and cannot be independized.

How to prevent it:

1. Request the district's Zoning and Roads Certificate.
2. Verify that the property is not in a marginal strip by consulting ANA.
3. Verify with SERNANP whether it is near or inside a protected natural area.
4. Do not sign private minutes: the only safe transfer is by public deed and SUNARP registration.
5. Distrust "urban habilitations" without a municipal resolution.

Fraud 7: digital impersonation and deepfakes

A growing modality in 2026: voice cloning posing as relatives ("transfer me the down payment for the apartment"), emails with domains nearly identical to notaries, QR codes for "Alcabala payment". Peruvian banks have reported a significant rise in fraud through this vector.

How to prevent it:

1. Confirm by an alternate channel any transfer request (video call to the known number, not a new one).
2. Review email domains character by character.
3. To pay the municipal SAT, use only the official portal, not links sent over WhatsApp.
4. Enable two-factor banking authentication and notify your bank of unusual amounts before processing them.

Essential checks before paying

1. Seller's DNI compared with the SUNARP entry.
2. Current CRI (≤ 7 days) without liens or charges.
3. HR and PU of the self-appraisal at the municipal SAT, up to date.
4. Utility bills (Sedapal, Luz del Sur/Enel, Calidda) without debts.
5. Notary chosen by the buyer, not imposed by the seller.
6. Independent appraisal by a REPEV expert.
7. INFOCORP search on the seller to detect attachments due to default.

If you fell for a scam

1. Criminal complaint at the prosecutor's office with a file: screenshots, contracts, transfers, presented DNI.
2. Report the case to your bank and request block and refund if the transfer is recent.
3. Notify SUNARP if a registry fraud attempt appears and request a preventive annotation.
4. Report to the portal where it was published to keep the scam from staying online.
5. If it was a company, consider a complaint before INDECOPI for misleading advertising.

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