In situations of straw buyer fraud, what is commonly sold?

In the context of straw buyer fraud, the term usually refers to a situation where someone uses another person's identity or creditworthiness to secure a loan or purchase real estate. In this fraud scheme, the primary focus is on the manipulation of credit information. A straw buyer typically uses the credit information of an unsuspecting individual to obtain financing for a property, often with the intent of defaulting on the loan later or to enable an illegal transaction.

Understanding this context, it's clear why credit information is pivotal in such schemes. The straw buyer doesn't directly engage in the financial obligations; instead, they rely heavily on the falsified or misrepresented credit information of others to facilitate the real estate transaction. This intricately ties in with the mechanics of fraud, as the ability to manipulate or incorrectly use someone's credit is what ultimately enables the fraud to take place. Other options, such as real estate loans, property listings, or appraisal reports, do play roles in real estate transactions and can be involved in various fraud tactics, but they do not encapsulate the central aspect of straw buyer fraud as effectively as credit information does.