The Double Title Scam:
 

Properties in Cambodia come with soft titles and hard titles. Sometimes a property may have both. This scam involves an owner selling the house to two buyers. One buyer gets the soft title and the other gets the hard title. The person with the soft title loses the house because soft titles are only recognized by the local government, while a hard title is recognized at a national level. There have also been cases of multiple titles being issued or forged, as well as instances of sellers selling the same property to multiple people. Sometimes the buyer with the hard title is involved in the scam, but that is not always the case.
 

You can avoid this scenario by making an inquiry with the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction as well as the local government office managing property registration. Get a copy of the title from the seller and check it against official records.
 

Another precaution is to check whether the neighbors have hard titles. If they do, this means that the government has already titled the area. Buying a soft title in a place where most neighbors have hard titles is not advisable.

 

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/37569/scams-to-avoid-when-buying-property-in-cambodia-part-1/

 

 

-- © Copyright Khmer Times 19/04

I heard, it works somewhat different in Phuket, but the scam in Phuket can be avoided by not buying any property.

56 minutes ago, fxe1200 said:

I heard, it works somewhat different in Phuket, but the scam in Phuket can be avoided by not buying any property.

rock solid advice.