PROTECT YOUR MONEY FROM WIRE FRAUD

Every day, criminals try to steal money by emailing fake wire instructions. Hackers will use a similar email address and steal a logo to impersonate a contact at your real estate or title company.

By remaining cautious and proactive, you can help safeguard your assets from the threat of wire fraud.

Safeguards to Follow

Consumers are encouraged to follow these steps to help reduce the risk of becoming a wire fraud victim.

Call, don’t email

Confirm your wiring instructions by phone using a known number before transferring funds. Don’t use phone numbers or links from an email.

be suspicious

It’s uncommon for title companies to change wiring instructions and payment info by email.

FORWARD, DON’T REPLY

When responding to an email, hit forward instead of reply and then start typing in the contact’s email address. Criminals use email addresses that are very similar to the real one for a company. By typing in email addresses, you will make it easier to discover if someone is impersonating your contact.

CONFIRM EVERYTHING

Ask your bank to confirm the name on the account before sending a wire.

VERIFY IMMEDIATELY

Call the title company or real estate agent to validate that the funds were received. The sooner it is detected that money has been sent to the wrong account, the better chance you have of recovering the money.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’VE BEEN TARGETED

  • Immediately call your bank and ask them to issue a recall notice for your wire

  • Report the crime to www.IC3.gov

  • Call your regional FBI office and police

You have the best chance of recovering your money if it’s detected that you sent it to the wrong account within 24 hours.