15. The Ghost Town Real Estate Fraud
As once-booming towns emptied out, conmen seized the opportunity to profit. They sold land and property in these abandoned “ghost towns” to distant, unsuspecting buyers, often exaggerating the area’s potential or neglecting to mention its collapse. Many investors, lured by promises of growth, lost everything on these worthless holdings. Read more about the legacy of Western ghost towns at Atlas Obscura: Ghost Towns.
