Property scams in West Africa: documented frauds and what to check before you pay, country by country

The property scams tried in court or flagged by authorities in recent years in Togo, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Ghana follow a handful of repeating patterns: a fake landlord or fake agent collects the deposit and advance rent on a home they have no right to let; a plot is sold to several buyers, or by someone who does not own it; forged documents circulate; the land belongs to the State or sits in a frozen zone; an off-plan scheme has no approval. The defence comes down to one rule: pay nothing until you have seen the property and checked with the official register who owns it. Each country has that register: the land title abstract (état descriptif) in Togo, the land title or ANDF certificate of ownership in Benin, the ACD (arrêté de concession définitive) recorded in the land register in Côte d'Ivoire, the statement of real rights issued by the land registrar in Senegal, and the official search at the Lands Commission in Ghana. Then pay through the notary (a lawyer in Ghana), by a traceable method, against a written receipt.

Documented scams in the region

We only keep patterns backed by a court decision, a dated press report of an ongoing case, or a statement from a public authority. People charged are presumed innocent until convicted.

The fake landlord or fake agent who takes the deposit and advance

The pattern is the same from one country to the next: someone shows a home they do not control, takes the deposit, the advance and some "fees", then disappears.

• Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire). On 15 June 2026, a 72-year-old man was brought before the Bingerville prosecutor, suspected of being the central figure of a housing fraud ring. According to Linfodrome (15 June 2026), young touts offered homes, then introduced the "owner", who met victims in a furnished apartment rented short-term for the purpose. Two complaints filed on 10 June involved 3,620,000 FCFA.
• Abomey-Calavi (Benin). On 8 May 2026, the court heard the case of a young man posing as an estate agent who allegedly took 589,000 FCFA for a room to rent after showing it. The victim found out he was "neither owner nor authorised" (Bénin Web TV, 9 May 2026).
• Accra (Ghana). A couple was arraigned before a Circuit Court for collecting GH₵36,000 as a two-year advance on an apartment in Dzorwulu. The prosecution says they had taken money from several people for the same apartment (Ghana News Agency, 31 October 2025). In Ghana, demanding more than six months' advance for a tenancy of over six months is itself an offence (Rent Act 1963, section 25(5)).

The common thread: victims paid someone whose ownership or mandate they had not checked. An advance above the country's legal cap is one more warning sign.

The same plot sold to several buyers

Double selling has a name in Togolese law: stellionat, "selling or mortgaging to one person, through false statements or omissions, a property already sold or mortgaged to another" (article 9, item 105, of the 2018 Togo Land and State Property Code), punishable under article 702.

• Togo. Back in 2014, a Lomé notary explained that when courts deal with a double sale they "only validate the first sales contract and annul the others" (République togolaise, 27 July 2014). Later buyers therefore lose the land.
• Senegal. A broker who advertised plots in Lac Rose, Keur Massar and Tivaouane Peul on his WhatsApp status was convicted of complicity in fraud and sentenced to two years, six months of it to be served. One buyer found his plot already belonged to someone else; a couple whose husband lives abroad had paid 3.5 million FCFA for documents that turned out to be forged (Pulse Sénégal, 7 July 2026).
• Ghana. Three people were charged before an Accra Circuit Court with making conflicting grants of land at Tse Addo, then using force, violence and intimidation to stop the complainant from developing it (MyJoyOnline and GNA, 12 August 2024). The Land Act 2020 punishes anyone who grants land without title, without authority, or to more than one person with seven to fifteen years in prison (Land Act 2020, section 277(2)), and also punishes anyone with no interest in the land who extorts money from the owner, stops them developing it or drives them off by force (section 12).

Sale by someone with no right to sell

A family member, an heir or a go-between sells a property that belongs to several people, or not to them at all.

• Senegal. A man appeared before the Dakar summary court for forgery, use of forged documents and fraud involving 32 million FCFA: his siblings accused him of using a forged inheritance ruling to take over two land titles belonging to their late mother in Rufisque, and he admitted transferring one of them into his name and handing it to a developer (Dakaractu, 27 December 2022).
• Ghana. A chief, family head or other authority managing stool, skin, clan or family land does so as a fiduciary for the group; breaching that duty is an offence (Land Act 2020, section 13). Before buying family land, have your lawyer check who has the power to grant it.
• Togo. For titled property, the seller must be the person named on the land title or, for an estate, an agent holding a notarised mandate to sell, as a Lomé notary's office points out.

Forged documents and fake announcements

• Benin. On 25 September 2025, the ANDF denounced a fake announcement and price list, presented as signed by its director general, offering plots for sale in Porto-Novo, Cotonou and Parakou. The agency stated that it "is not in the business of selling land or brokering land and property transactions" (La Nouvelle Tribune, 25 September 2025). Nobody can sell you "ANDF land".
• Senegal. In the WhatsApp broker case above, papers described as "perfectly in order" with a "double signature" were forged.
• Ghana. Forging, fraudulently registering or altering a document in the Lands Commission records carries two to five years in prison (Land Act 2020, section 277(1)). That is why the check is done at the registry, not on the copy the seller hands you.

State land, frozen land and unapproved subdivisions

• Togo. A census launched in September 2024 found that 68% of the State's administrative reserves in Greater Lomé were illegally occupied; occupants were given twelve months to vacate (Togo First, 20 November 2024). The Togolese code makes public land "inalienable, imprescriptible and exempt from seizure" (article 511). A good-faith owner of a lot from an unauthorised subdivision owes the State 50% of the lot's area (articles 349 and 350). Any subdivision of land that has neither a land title nor one of the proofs listed in the code is punishable by a fine of 1 to 5 million FCFA and two to five years in prison (article 709).
• Benin. On 30 July 2026, the ANDF warned against plot sales in Tori-Bossito, inside the second phase of the Glo-Djigbé special economic zone, still under a declaration of public utility: any sale there is irregular, and both sellers and buyers "face legal consequences" (La Nouvelle Tribune, 30 July 2026).
• Côte d'Ivoire. Carrying out an urban planning operation, such as a subdivision, without approval is punishable by two months to two years in prison and a fine of 2 to 20 million FCFA; surveyors and topographers who take part are treated as accomplices (new article 282 of the Urban Planning Code, in Law No. 2024-351 of 6 June 2024). The same law states that customary rights "do not amount to ownership" and "cannot be transferred" (new article 272).

Off-plan schemes without approval

In Côte d'Ivoire, the Ministry of Construction said on 10 December 2024 that no approved schemes named "Résidence Nathifa", "Résidence Soa" or "Projet Espoir N'Sikan" appeared in its database, and urged buyers to check the list of approved developers and schemes on its website first. The same article reports that a subscribers' association says 4,500 people, including members of the diaspora, paid 17 billion FCFA between 2012 and 2017 for homes still not delivered (Le TamTamParleur, 6 January 2025). Those figures come from the association, not from a court ruling.

Ivorian law gives two benchmarks. Anyone selling property to be built must hold ministerial approval (article 138 of the 2019 Construction and Housing Code). And in an off-plan sale, no payment may be made before the sale contract is signed, apart from the reservation deposit, unless payments are covered by a refund guarantee from an approved bank or insurer (article 121).

Remote purchases by the diaspora

In Senegal, a buyer who bought land from a developer in 2023 sent his representative to the site: it was already fenced off. The Guédiawaye High Court sentenced the developer to six months and 11 million FCFA in damages (Le Soleil, via AllAfrica, 24 December 2025).

In the WhatsApp broker case above, a buyer living abroad had found the offers on WhatsApp; the couple paid 3.5 million FCFA for forged documents, and his wife represented him in court. In both cases, the problem only came to light after payment.

Patterns left out for lack of a source

Three frequently mentioned practices do not appear in any dated source we could read, so we do not present them as facts: listings whose photos are copied from another listing; a relative back home who diverts money sent for building; "viewing fees" demanded by mobile money before any appointment. The habits below protect against these too.

Before you pay: what each country lets you check

The table sums up the official check, the rule on selling without title, how agents are regulated and the rental caps. Details and texts follow.

Country	Who says who owns it	Selling without title	Estate agents	Rental caps
Togo	Land registry (OTR): land title abstract, unique parcel number	Transfer of unregistered property absolutely void (art. 161 and 162)	No professional card found in the texts we read	Greater Lomé: deposit 3 months, rent guarantee 3 months; agent fees split equally
Benin	ANDF: land title or certificate of ownership (1 year)	Sale must follow confirmation of rights or a certificate of ownership since 14 August 2023 (art. 17)	Register and professional card from the Housing Ministry, written registered mandate	Deposit 3 months; commission 50% of one month (introduction), 10% of rent (management)
Côte d'Ivoire	ACD recorded in the land register; resale by notarial deed and transfer certificate	Customary rights not transferable; unapproved subdivision punishable	Approval required; lists of approved agents and developers on the ministry website	Advance 2 months, deposit 2 months
Senegal	Land registrar: statement of real rights, copy of the title	Registration needed for a valid sale; national domain land cannot be sold	Prior authorisation and professional card (Law 82-07)	Rents up to 500,000 FCFA: deposit 2 months, no rent in advance, commission half a month
Ghana	Lands Commission: official search, report within 14 days	Granting without title or to several people: 7 to 15 years in prison	Real Estate Agency Council (REAC) licence; agents may not take cash	Advance 6 months (tenancy over six months); commission 5% of annual rent

Togo

Only a land title proves ownership: any transfer of unregistered property is absolutely void, every sale must be preceded by registration, and the deed must be notarised (articles 161 to 163 of the Land and State Property Code). Before a purchase, the notary requests the land title abstract, which shows the owner, the area and any mortgages (Lomé notary's office). Since 1 August 2024, every plot has a unique parcel number (NUP) that "must appear on any document relating to a property" (OTR, notice No. 021/2024). To find out whether a plot encroaches on an administrative reserve, the government points buyers to the Urban Planning, Cadastre and State Property services and to the municipal technical departments (joint statement of 19 November 2024, reported by L-FRII).

For rentals, Decree No. 2022-001 caps the deposit at three months' rent and the rent guarantee at three months; it applies to housing in Greater Lomé; the fees of the professional who negotiated and drafted the lease are split equally between landlord and tenant (ATOP, 9 February 2022; Ministry of Urban Planning). We found no Togolese text requiring a professional card for estate agents or capping their commission: ask for a written mandate from the owner and a receipt. See also our Lomé property guide and the guide to land status in Togo.

Benin

Since the transition period ended on 14 August 2023, article 17 of the Land and State Property Code requires every sale to be preceded by confirmation of land rights or, failing that, by a certificate of ownership from the ANDF, valid for one non-renewable year. The ANDF director general drew the consequence: "with a land title, it should not be possible to sell the same property to several people or to sell property belonging to someone else" (Banouto, 14 July 2023).

Law No. 2022-30 of 20 December 2022 regulates rentals and agents:

• an estate agent must be on the register kept by the housing minister and hold a professional card (article 19);
• they act under a written, registered, time-limited mandate, or the mandate is void (articles 21 and 23);
• their commission may not exceed 50% of one month's rent when they only introduce the parties, or 10% of monthly rent when they manage the property (article 27), and they may not receive any sum other than the one agreed (article 29);
• practising without a card carries a fine of 50,000 to 1,000,000 FCFA (article 32);
• the deposit may not exceed three months' rent (article 57).

On 23 July 2026, responding to touts demanding up to six months in advance, the government spokesman told tenants asked for more than three months' deposit to go to the nearest police station (La Nouvelle Tribune, 23 July 2026). The full procedures are in our Cotonou property guide.

Côte d'Ivoire

Full ownership of urban land is conferred by the ACD (article 220 of the 2020 Urban Planning and Urban Land Code). A resale is made by notarial deed and gives rise to a property transfer certificate (CMPF), which is "final and unchallengeable" (new article 223, 2024 law). The Ministry of Construction website lets you check whether a subdivision is approved, cancelled or suspended, publishes lists of approved estate agents, developers and schemes, and gives a call centre number, 1378.

For rentals, the Construction and Housing Code forbids demanding more than two months' rent in advance (article 415) and caps the security deposit at two months, refundable within one month of returning the keys (article 416). Using an agency is optional, but agencies and brokers must be approved (article 419); operating without approval carries fifteen days to twelve months in prison and a fine of 200,000 to 2,000,000 FCFA (article 546). Fees follow a scale set by decree (article 481), which we have not read: ask for a written breakdown. See our Abidjan property guide.

Senegal

A land title is "final and unchallengeable"; registration is required for a sale to be valid, and sales are made by notarial deed (articles 5, 42 and 47 of Law No. 2011-07 on land ownership). Anyone can ask the land registrar for a copy of the title and a statement of the charges and real rights on a property (articles 77 and 78): that is the check to run before paying anything. National domain land allocated by a municipality gives a right of use and "cannot be the subject of any form of transaction" (Decree No. 2022-2307): a plot allocated by council decision cannot be sold.

Property dealing and management require prior authorisation and a professional card (Law No. 82-07 of 30 June 1982). For rents up to 500,000 FCFA a month, Decree No. 2023-382 caps the deposit at two months, only one of which is payable on moving in, bans payment of rent in advance and cuts agency commission to half a month (Official Gazette No. 7605 of 28 February 2023). See our Dakar property guide.

Ghana

Anyone can ask the Lands Commission for an official search on a parcel; the report is issued within fourteen days of paying the fee, covers registered instruments and pending applications, and is presumed conclusive (sections 130 and 222 of the Land Act 2020). You apply by letter with two scaled site plans showing grid values (Lands Commission). A conveyance may only be prepared by a lawyer (section 33).

Acting as an agent or broker without a Real Estate Agency Council licence is prohibited (section 22 of the Real Estate Agency Act 2020) and punishable by a fine of 5,000 to 10,000 penalty units or five to ten years in prison (section 54); agents may not accept cash (section 45). In May 2026, a REAC board member announced inspections targeting unlicensed agents (GNA, 31 May 2026). For rentals, the Rent Act limits advance rent to one month for a monthly tenancy and six months for a tenancy of over six months, and a go-between's commission to 5% of one year's rent (section 25). See our Accra property guide.

Habits that prevent most of these losses

1. Pay nothing before the viewing and the checks. No deposit, no advance, no "reservation". In the Abidjan, Abomey-Calavi and Accra cases above, victims paid on the strength of a viewing and their contact's word.
2. Check the owner at the registry, not on the seller's word. Have the notary (or lawyer in Ghana) compare the name, area and charges on the register with the papers you are shown.
3. Ask for a written mandate from anyone letting or selling on someone else's behalf: agent, relative, heir. In Benin, an unwritten, unregistered or open-ended mandate is void.
4. Check the agent's approval or card where the law requires one: ministry list in Côte d'Ivoire, the register REAC must keep and publish in Ghana (section 4), professional card in Benin and Senegal.
5. Pay through the notary, by transfer or cheque, against a written receipt. In Ghana, landlords must give a written receipt for every rent payment (Rent Act, section 33).
6. Have a licensed surveyor mark out the plot and locate it: administrative reserve, public utility zone, approved subdivision or not.
7. Refuse urgency and unexplained prices. A property clearly cheaper than comparable ones in the same area, or "to be reserved today", calls for more checks, not a faster payment.
8. From abroad, do not rely on a single person. Have the registry search done by a notary or lawyer you choose yourself, and pay nothing to a go-between.

For land, the detailed steps are in our article on land checks before buying a plot.

If you have already paid: where to turn

Keep everything: messages, phone numbers, receipts, transfer records, screenshots of the listing. Then, depending on the country:

• Côte d'Ivoire: for online fraud, the Platform for Combating Cybercrime (PLCC) takes complaints free of charge on presentation of evidence (KOACI, 7 November 2022); otherwise the police station, as in the Angré-Château case.
• Benin: the police station for an excessive deposit, according to the government spokesman; the ANDF to check a plot's status.
• Senegal: in February 2026 the national police launched an online platform for reporting cybercrime, run by its special cybercrime division (APS, via AllAfrica, 12 February 2026); for a rent dispute, the National Rent Regulation Commission (CONAREL) lists the number 800 80 77 77 (CONAREL).
• Ghana: the police, as in the Dzorwulu case; anyone aggrieved by an agent or broker can complain to the REAC board, which must refer the complaint to an Appeals Committee within seven days (section 32 of the Real Estate Agency Act 2020).
• Togo: we found no reporting channel specific to property; double selling is a matter for the courts, and the Land Code refers to the penalties of the Criminal Code (article 702).

On Imonga: what the site checks, and what it does not

No step on the site verifies that a property exists, its title or the advertiser's mandate. Our terms of use say so: advertisers warrant that they are entitled to list the property and that the information is accurate; Imonga may remove a non-compliant listing, but is not a party to transactions and does not guarantee that listings are accurate.

• The "Verified" badge in the directory of professionals is awarded by the Imonga team to a professional's page after review. It does not replace an approval, a licence or a professional card, and it does not exempt you from any of the checks above. On 15 September 2026, 33 of the 176 pages for the five countries carry the badge (Togo 3 of 21, Benin 4 of 31, Côte d'Ivoire 8 of 49, Senegal 6 of 42, Ghana 12 of 33), and none shows an approval or card number.
• The land status shown on a listing (land title, in progress, and so on) is the advertiser's declaration, not a check by Imonga. On 15 September 2026, of the 22 plots for sale listed in Togo, 14 are declared "land title", 2 "in progress" and 6 have no status filled in. Ask to see the document itself and have a notary verify it.
• Where listings come from. On 15 September 2026, Imonga shows 126 listings, all located in Togo: 119 taken from Facebook posts and 6 from WhatsApp messages, according to the source recorded on each listing. A listing republished on Imonga is not a verified listing.
• Reporting a listing. Every listing has a "Report this listing" link: choose the reason (suspected scam, no longer available, false information, duplicate) and describe what you noticed. The report goes to the Imonga team, who review the listing and can take it down. It does not replace a complaint to the police.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell whether the person showing me a home is the owner?

Ask for their ID and the ownership document, then compare them with the official register: land title abstract in Togo, ANDF in Benin, ACD and land register in Côte d'Ivoire, statement of real rights in Senegal, official search in Ghana. If you are dealing with an agent or relative, ask for the owner's written mandate. Without these papers, pay no deposit or advance.

Can an agent charge me before a viewing?

None of the texts we read provides for viewing fees paid upfront. In Benin, an agent may only receive the sum agreed in the mandate and their commission is capped; in Senegal it is limited to half a month for rents up to 500,000 FCFA; in Ghana, to 5% of annual rent. Refuse any payment before a viewing.

How do I buy land from abroad without being scammed?

Choose your own notary, or lawyer in Ghana, and have them check the register before any payment. Have a licensed surveyor mark out the plot. Pay by bank transfer to an account the notary confirms, against a receipt. Do not hand money to a go-between or relative without a written, limited power of attorney.

What is land sold without a title worth?

It depends on the country. In Togo, transferring unregistered property is void. In Benin, a sale must follow confirmation of rights or a certificate of ownership. In Côte d'Ivoire, customary rights cannot be transferred. In Senegal, national domain land cannot be sold. In Ghana, granting land without title is a criminal offence.

Does Imonga's "Verified" badge guarantee a professional?

No. The Imonga team awards it to a page after review, but it does not replace Ivorian approval, a REAC licence in Ghana or the professional card required in Benin and Senegal. Check those authorisations with the country's authority, and take the same precautions as with anyone else.

Sources

Pages and texts consulted on 14 and 15 September 2026.

• Linfodrome, 15 June 2026: fake landlord ring in Abidjan.
• Bénin Web TV, 9 May 2026: fake estate agent in Abomey-Calavi.
• Ghana News Agency, 31 October 2025: rent fraud in Dzorwulu.
• Pulse Sénégal, 7 July 2026: plots sold via WhatsApp, conviction.
• MyJoyOnline (GNA), 12 August 2024: double sale at Tse Addo.
• République togolaise, 27 July 2014: double selling in Togo.
• Dakaractu, 27 December 2022: disputed inheritance ruling and transferred titles.
• Le Soleil (AllAfrica), 24 December 2025: land already fenced off, developer convicted in Guédiawaye.
• La Nouvelle Tribune, 25 September 2025 and 30 July 2026: ANDF warnings.
• La Nouvelle Tribune, 23 July 2026: deposit cap and police reporting in Benin.
• Banouto, 14 July 2023: article 17 of Benin's Land Code.
• Benin Law No. 2022-30 of 20 December 2022: articles 19, 21, 23, 27, 29, 32 and 57.
• Togo First, 20 November 2024 and L-FRII: administrative reserves in Greater Lomé.
• Togo Land and State Property Code (Law No. 2018-005): articles 9, 161 to 163, 349, 350, 511, 702 and 709.
• OTR, notice No. 021/2024: unique parcel number.
• Tsakadi notary's office, Lomé: land title abstract, notarised mandate.
• ATOP, 9 February 2022 and Togo Ministry of Urban Planning: Decree No. 2022-001.
• Le TamTamParleur, 6 January 2025: Ivorian Ministry of Construction statement of 10 December 2024.
• Ivorian Urban Planning Code (Law No. 2020-624) and Law No. 2024-351: articles 220, 223, 272 and 282.
• Ivorian Construction and Housing Code (Law No. 2019-576): articles 121, 138, 415, 416, 419, 481 and 546.
• Ivorian Ministry of Construction: subdivision checks, approved lists, call centre.
• KOACI, 7 November 2022: filing a complaint with the PLCC.
• Senegal Law No. 2011-07: articles 5, 42, 47, 77 and 78; Decree No. 2022-2307: national domain.
• Senegal Law No. 82-07 and Decree No. 2023-382 (Official Gazette No. 7605): professional card, deposit, commission.
• APS (AllAfrica), 12 February 2026 and CONAREL: reporting in Senegal.
• Land Act 2020 (Act 1036): sections 12, 13, 33, 130, 222 and 277; Lands Commission, official search.
• Real Estate Agency Act 2020 (Act 1047): sections 4, 22, 32, 45 and 54; GNA, 31 May 2026.
• Rent Act 1963 (Act 220): sections 25 and 33.
• Imonga data: listings, declared land statuses and directory pages, extracted from the site API on 15 September 2026; the site's terms of use.