Call Before You Wire
Why I bring up wire fraud before we’ve even seen a house, and what the scam actually looks like.
Buying or selling a home is the one time most of us wire a life-changing amount of money to someone we’ve never met. Scammers know that. They also know the dates, because closing timelines are predictable.
And a wire is not like a credit card charge. Once it lands in a criminal’s account, it’s usually moved within hours. If it’s gone, it’s probably gone for good. That’s why I bring it up at our first meeting, again when we go under contract, and again the week of closing.
The One Rule
Wiring instructions NEVER change by email or text.
Before you send any money, call the closing attorney’s office at a number you looked up yourself – from their website or your contract, never from the email asking for the money. If anyone, including me, sends you “updated” instructions, stop and call.
Then, a day or two before closing, “the attorney” sends new wiring instructions. It looks right because it’s copied from the real thing. Sometimes it comes from the real account. Sometimes it comes from an address one letter off.
AI has made this harder to spot. The old tell was bad spelling and odd grammar. Those are gone. Scammers can now write a perfect email in anyone’s voice, and clone a voice for a phone call from a short video clip.
Good afternoon Mr. Buyer,
Please note that due to an ongoing audit, our escrow account has changed. Kindly disregard the previous instructions and use the attached for your closing funds.
Funds must be received by 2pm today to keep your closing on schedule. We are in closings all afternoon, so please reply by email rather than calling.
Thank you,
Smith Law Group
- The address has two extra characters. Most people read right past it.
- It changes the bank account. Real attorneys don’t do that by email.
- It rushes you, and steers you away from the phone – the one thing that would expose it.
- Unknown number claiming to be someone you know.
- Money plus urgency. Your agent will never text you about wiring, and the attorney will never collect bank details by text.
The Phone Call
A call that sounds exactly like your agent or attorney, asking you to confirm or change wire details. AI voice cloning makes this possible. Hang up and call back at a number you already have.
The Fake Payoff Letter
Mr. Seller’s mortgage has to be paid off at closing. A scammer sends the attorney a payoff letter that looks like it’s from the lender, with their own account on it. Your loan stays unpaid. Attorneys confirm payoffs directly with the lender, and you can help by giving them your lender’s real phone number early.
The Earnest Money Ask
It happens early, too. A buyer just under contract gets “instructions” for their earnest money deposit. Same rule, same phone call.
– Call again after you send it, to confirm it arrived.
– Turn on 2-step verification for your email. Many of these scams start in the buyer’s or seller’s own inbox.
– Be suspicious of urgency. A real closing can move an hour. Nobody legitimate needs you to skip the phone call.
– Ask your bank about their wire process ahead of time, so you’re not learning it on closing day.
I don’t send wiring instructions myself. The attorney’s office sends them directly, and I’ll make sure you have their phone number long before closing.
1 – Call your bank immediately. Ask them to recall the wire and to contact the receiving bank about a fraudulent transfer.
2 – File a report at ic3.gov, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, and call your local FBI field office.
3 – Call the closing attorney, then call me. We’ll work out next steps on the transaction together.
Don’t let embarrassment slow you down. These scams fool careful, smart people every day.
Not Sure About a Message?
If something about a wire, a deposit or a closing email feels off, stop and call me before you do anything. I’d much rather get ten false alarms than miss one real one. Let me know any questions at all.
Ask Kevin →