There are calls for tighter identity checks for people selling property in Australia, after several homeowners have been conned by so-called Nigerian scams.

The fraud involves identity theft, and using faxes and emails to try to sell a property without the true owner's knowledge.

The latest attempt, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, was foiled soon before the apartment was due to be auctioned.

It followed two successful frauds in Perth.

In all three cases, the real owners were living in Africa.

In the Sydney case, the real estate agency thought the request to sell was legitimate and solicitors in Double Bay drew up contracts.

The unit was due to go to auction in September.

The chief executive of the Real Estate Institute of Western Australia, Anne Arnold says the real owner only found out by chance.

"What happened was that the real estate who originally sold the owner the property happened to see and ad for it on the net and was interested that he hadn't got the listing," she said.

"So he sent an e-mail to his former client and of course the owner e-mailed back and said 'what do you mean, selling my property? I'm not selling my property'."

The shocked owner stopped the sale from South Africa.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 2 seconds 3 m 2 s Calls For Strict ID Checks For Property Sales Across Australia ( David Weber ) Download 1.4 MB

The owners of two properties in Perth were not so lucky. It was those cases which prompted the introduction of 100-point identity checks.

"Every sale of any property, not just homes but all sorts of property. Commercial property, residential, industrial," Ms Arnold said.

"So of course we think if they can do it here, there is every chance they will try somewhere else.

"I understand that the Department of Commerce has been communicating with their counterparts in other states and in fact I'm in Canberra for a meeting with my counterparts of other real estate institutes next week and it is one thing that I'll be raising with them."

The first known successful case occurred last year.

Roger Mildenhall was in South Africa when his Karrinyup investment property was sold without his approval.

The Department of Consumer Protection has revealed that no action will be taken against the real estate and settlement agents.

The Consumer Protection Commissioner, Anne Driscoll, says the second case, which occurred this year, is still being examined.

"It's clear the agents had a genuine belief that they were dealing with the true owner," she said.

"Their efforts to service that clients were quite reasonable and a particular issue there is that a fraud of this type was not known in the real estate industry at the time these events occurred.

"And it's clear that it just wasn't in the mindset of the agents that such a fraud was possible."