Salem

I've been wandering around the map after not playing for a while and I've noticed an empty 5x5 claim next to a big, raided, abandoned settlement. The settlement had no walls or buildings anymore so it must've been abandoned for a long time.
Is it possible that the empty claim is some sort of an assurance that nobody claims the settlement, and if they do they'll get raided as well? Or could it just be a coincidence. Because it doesn't seem like someone would spend money on a claim and keep it up for months without a reason.

Chances are it was placed to cover the scents of the player who raided the original base and no one has bothered leaving their own scents to remove it in all this time.

That makes a lot of sense. It also sheds some light on the crime system.
Thanks!

Yes, common use. It both covers scents so that people automatically leave trackable scents of their own when picking yours up, and (short-term, while looting) also stops people from strolling into a base you spent hours breaking into.
Also, it may have been used to drain braziers/torchposts, if the claim defenses were poor.