Preventing Wire Fraud

Wire fraud in real estate can happen anywhere and at any time – make sure you are protected.

As your title company, helping to prevent fraud is of utmost importance in safeguarding the integrity of your real estate transaction. To minimize the risk of being a victim, take these simple steps:

• Do not wire your money without calling us to confirm our instructions
• Get our phone number up front and use that phone number
• Don’t use a phone number in an email even if it looks like it is from us
• Don’t trust e-mailed wire instructions
• Call us after you send the money to make sure that we received it

Read This Before Sending Money

Always call us before sending us any funds:
Criminals are trying to steal your money by pretending to be us – or pretending to be your Real Estate Agent. Criminals may send you an e-mail that looks like it is from us or from the agent – or call you pretending to be us or your agent. Always call us, at a number you know is accurate to verify the wire instructions (If you don’t have a valid number already you can find our office contact information here), before sending any funds.

Never use the phone number in an e-mail:
Cyber criminals can fake official-looking emails that can appear very authentic and mislead unsuspecting home buyers and sellers. We are not responsible for any wires you send to an incorrect bank account. If you have any questions, please contact us about this or other ways to protect yourself, or email us.

What to do if you’re a Victim Of Wire Fraud:
If you have been victimized by wire fraud, it is recommended that you do the following as quickly as possible:

• Contact your bank to report the fraud and request a recall of the wire be sent to the receiving bank because of fraud.
• Call the receiving bank’s fraud department to notify them you have requested a recall of the wire because of fraud and request the account be frozen.
• Report the fraud to your local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office.
• Click here to file a complaint with the FBI’s official Internet Crime Complaint Center.