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City issues land scam warning for north Cape property owners

By Staff | Oct 1, 2012

Property owners in north Cape Coral are advised to disregard “scare” notices from land scammers offering to purchase their property to avoid paying water and sewer assessments. According to city officials, a recent postcard solicitation from a local land buyer warns of $20,000 assessments that must be paid or property owners will lose their land “starting in four months.” The solicitor then offers to purchase properties for $500 cash with no closing costs but the offer is only good through 10/10/12.

Cape officials said it is false that property owners in the north Cape will be required to start paying assessments in four months or lose their property. Only the Southwest 6/7 project is moving forward at this time. Annual assessment payments will not begin for these property owners until the fall 2013. North 1 and North 2 also are on the board for utilities; however, these projects will not begin until 2015 (North 2) and 2017 (North 1). No assessments will be due on these properties until 2016 and 2018.

The city researched the phone number provided on the solicitation card and found that the number is associated with a local land buyer who has registered various names for his limited liability corporations over the years.

The postcard also lists the city’s main phone number as a sewer “hotline;” however, the city has no involvement with this mailing.

“This is an attempt to acquire property from Cape Coral landowners using deceitful tactics, and we will not sit by and allow our property owners to be unwittingly duped into giving up their properties based on false information,” said Connie Barron, public information director for the city. “We encourage anyone who receives a solicitation like this to call our Citizen’s Action Center at 574-0425 for accurate information.”

– Source: City of Cape Coral