HOA records posted online can reveal homeowners’ names, addresses, emails and dispute details, giving scammers enough context to make calls, texts or emails appear tied to a real property issue.
California law shows the tension: members may inspect many association records, but HOAs can withhold or redact information if disclosure could lead to identity theft, fraud or privacy harm.
Membership lists can be especially sensitive because California defines them to include name, property address, mailing address and email address, though homeowners can opt out in writing.
Older residents face higher stakes: Americans over 60 reported more than $7.7 billion in internet-enabled fraud losses in 2025 across more than 201,000 FBI complaints.
Experts urge homeowners to search what their HOA exposes online, ask boards to remove or restrict unnecessary data, and scrub copied information from broker and people-search sites.