Closing day is busy enough without wondering whether the wiring instructions in your inbox are real. Wire fraud in real estate usually does not look dramatic. It looks like a familiar email, a familiar logo, and a “quick update” about where to send funds.
Criminals often monitor email accounts involved in a transaction, then send fake wiring instructions that appear to come from a title company, attorney, lender, or agent. The ask is simple: change the account, change the payment method, or wire now.
Red flags to treat as stop signs
Pause and verify before you send money if you see any of these:
- An email or text asking you to change wiring instructions or bank details
- Urgent, secret, or “do not call anyone” language
- Slightly altered email addresses or unexpected attachments and links
- A phone number or callback instruction that came from the same suspicious message
A last-minute change is not automatically fraudulent. It is automatically something you should verify independently.
A practical verification checklist
- Use a trusted phone number you already have. Call your title company or closing contact using a number from a prior verified conversation, the engagement letter, or the company’s official website — not a number inside the suspect email or text.
- Confirm the instructions out loud. Ask the person on the trusted line to confirm the account name, routing details, amount, and whether anything has changed.
- Ask your bank to help verify the receiving account name before releasing the wire, when that option is available.
- Call again after you send. Confirm that the title company actually received the funds.
- Do not email banking details unless your closing team has already established a verified, secure process for that step.
If you suspect fraud, move immediately
Time matters. If you think you wired to the wrong place — or almost did:
- Call your bank’s fraud desk right away and ask them to start a recall or freeze process
- Notify your title company and the other transaction parties using known phone numbers
- File a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov
- Contact local law enforcement and, when appropriate, your regional FBI field office
No checklist guarantees prevention or recovery. Acting quickly and verifying independently still gives you the best practical chance to protect the transaction.
How Title X can help
Title X coordinates escrow and closing workflows for Florida transactions and can walk parties through how funds are expected to move on your file. If you are preparing to close, ask early how wiring will be confirmed so everyone is using the same verification habit before money moves.
Questions about an upcoming closing? Contact Title X with the property address, contract status, and timeline.