The Use of Special Knowledge to Investigate Fraud in Real Estate Transactions

Crimes that involve encroachment on real estate cause signifi cant fi nancial damage to citizens. The situation gets more complicated when a real estate unit is the victim's only housing. The author makes an attempt at generalizing specifi c traits of fraud in the sphere of illegal acquisition of title to real estate that can be identifi ed with the use of special knowledge. The paper lists subjects able to render such assistance in investigation of the crime type under consideration, singles out forms of involvement of such subjects in an investigation. The article covers some challenging issues of carrying out notarial examination and its impact on criminal case proceedings.