⚠ Criminals target real estate closings.

They steal down payments with one convincing email. Once wired, the money is often gone in hours.

How the scam works — 3 steps

  1. They watch. Criminals break into or impersonate an email account in your deal — agent, lender, or closing office — and learn your closing date.
  2. They strike. Days before closing, you get a polished, urgent email with "updated" or "corrected" wire instructions.
  3. They vanish. You wire. The money lands in the criminal's account and is moved beyond reach — often within hours.

The rule that protects you

Our wire instructions will not change during your transaction.

Before sending funds, call us at the number listed on our website — not one from an email — to verify. Treat any last-minute change as fraud until confirmed by phone.

Red flags

  • New, "updated," or "corrected" wire instructions — at any time, from anyone
  • Pressure to send funds immediately
  • A sender's email address that's one letter off
  • "Don't call — email only" or excuses not to talk by phone
  • Instructions arriving nights, weekends, or right before closing
  • A polished, professional email — that proves nothing. Verify anyway.

Already sent funds? Minutes matter.

  1. Call your bank now. Ask for a wire recall and a fraud hold on the receiving account.
  2. Call us.
  3. File at ic3.gov — the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Fast reports (within 72 hours) give the FBI its best chance to freeze the funds.
  4. Report to local police and keep copies of everything.

Maples Richey 801 Baptist Drive, Suite 203, Madison, MS 39110 601-707-4114 · [email protected] · Mon–Fri 9:00–4:30

© Maples & Richey, PLLC. General information, not legal advice.