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Every season, hunters lose money to lease scams — usually the same way. Someone posts photos of great ground at a price that's a little too good, pressures you to send a deposit fast "before someone else takes it," and then disappears once the money's gone. Here's how the scams work and how to avoid them.
Most scams share a few tells: a price well below the going rate for the area, photos that look pulled from somewhere else, pressure to decide immediately, a request to pay by wire, Venmo, Zelle, or gift card, and a reluctance to talk on the phone or let you visit the property. Any one of these is a yellow flag. Two or more together is a red flag.
This is the single most important check. Most U.S. counties publish property ownership records online for free through the county appraisal district or assessor's office. Look up the property and confirm the name matches the person you're dealing with. If they can't or won't give you an address that checks out, walk away.
Wire transfers, Venmo, Zelle, and gift cards are favored by scammers because they're instant and irreversible. Once the money's gone, it's gone — there's no chargeback, no dispute, no recourse. If a stranger online insists on one of these, that alone is reason enough to stop.
Photos can be misleading even when the listing is legitimate. A site visit tells you whether the property matches the description — and whether the person showing it around actually controls the place. For a season lease worth thousands, the drive is worth it.
The reason The Hunting Exchange uses Stripe escrow is exactly this problem. When you book, your payment is held — not handed to the landowner — until you confirm the property is real and matches the listing. If it doesn't, you get your money back. On top of that, every landowner is verified through Stripe before they can take a payment. It turns "trust a stranger online" into "book with protection," which is the whole point.
Scams work because they move fast and skip the checks. Slow down, verify ownership, never wire money to someone unverified, and book through a platform that holds the payment until you've confirmed the ground. Do that, and the playbook stops working on you.
Browse hunting leases with Stripe escrow protection. Free to search.