Tanzania, July 30 -- Dar es Salaam. Tanzanians living abroad have been urged to prioritise due diligence and formal legal procedures over personal relationships when investing in property back home, amid growing concerns over fraudulent land and property transactions that have cost some investors their life savings.

Real estate professional and author of The Tanzanian Diaspora Property Handbook, Emil Sylvester Mdinda, says diaspora investors are particularly vulnerable to property fraud because they often rely on relatives, friends or agents to complete transactions while they remain overseas.

"Trust the process before you trust the person," Mr Mdinda says in an interview, urging investors to conduct official land searches, insist on le...