According to a report of the National Crimes Records Bureau (NCRB), Delhi tops the list in terms of cases related to property fraud and misappropriation among all states and union territories in the country. The total number of cases reported under sections of property lost under criminal breach of trust and cheating during 2013 was 181 according to the findings.

"The main reason that can be accounted for the rise in property fraud in India is the ignorance on the part of the investor or the buyer regarding property laws and rights" – says Property Dispute Matter AdvocateMr. Kislay Pandey. There are few things which an investor needs to keep in mind while dealing with the purchase and sale of property. Firstly, Real Estate transactions are executed under written legal documents which require registration. A miss in adhering to this leads to miscommunicated interpretations and consequent litigations. A major portion of property fraud results from incorrect scrutiny and drafting of various legal property documents. Secondly, in India we may see a lot of frauds happening because of ignorance on the part of the buyers about Property Laws. One might be offered the opportunity to buy a property at a discount that isn't built. People invest in such property in order to earn some quick money. However, what they don't know is that the land may be agricultural or derelict and in many cases it might be unsuitable for development. A lot of money, effort and time is lost in these situations. Another very prominent type of fraud pertaining to property that is on the rise is the Mortgage Fraud and it can be easily identified by the discrepancies between the actual terms offered by the mortgage lender  and the ones provided by  the mortgage broker such as inflated closing costs.  

As one of the best property disputes matter Advocate, Mr. Kislay Pandey puts it –"If you are a victim of a property fraud, Ask questions about the course. Ask for references from several people and not just one or two." He also adds that –"Never make investments without properly researching the property." Another thing which is extremely important for someone who has been a victim of a property fraud is to keep copies of all paperwork about the transactions and the course as well as notes and record of phone conversations.

To sum it up, Property Disputes Matter Advocate Kislay Pandey suggests that few very basic things like ensuring that the property titles are in place and that there is clarity on the title of the property is essential. The entire hierarchy of the property should be readily available.