Real Estate Wire Fraud Is Surging: How to Protect Your Money

Picture this: it’s the day before closing. You’re excited, maybe a little nervous, and then an email lands in your inbox. It looks like it’s from your agent or the title company. “Updated wiring instructions for your closing funds,” it says. “Please wire to the account below.”

You wire your down payment. And it’s gone. Sent straight to a scammer.

This isn’t rare, and it’s not just happening to “other people.” The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported real-estate fraud losses jumping from about $173 million in 2024 to $275 million in 2025: a 58% increase in a single year. Closing-day wire fraud is one of the fastest-growing scams in the country, and it works because it exploits the exact moment you’re most distracted.

How the scam works

It’s simpler than you’d think, and that’s what makes it dangerous:

A scammer hacks or spoofs the email of someone in your transaction. Your agent, the attorney, the lender, sometimes even you.
They quietly watch the email thread, learning names, dates, and dollar amounts.
Right before closing, they strike: an email with “new” or “corrected” wiring instructions, often with a believable excuse (“our account changed,” “use this one instead”).

The email looks right. The logos look right. The timing feels right. That’s the whole trick.

Red flags to watch for

Any change to wiring instructions, ever. Legitimate wiring instructions don’t change mid-transaction.
Urgency and pressure: “wire immediately or closing is delayed.”
Slightly-off email addresses (a missing letter, a .co instead of .com).
Instructions arriving only by email, with no phone call to confirm.
Anyone discouraging you from calling to verify.

How to protect yourself

These are the rules I give every buyer, and they work:

Never wire money based on emailed instructions alone. Not once, not ever.
Verify by phone using a number you already have, not a number in the suspicious email. Call your agent or the attorney at the number from their website or your original paperwork.
Confirm the wire instructions in person or by phone at the start of the transaction, before any money moves, so you know what “right” looks like.
Don’t email financial details. No account numbers, no wire confirmations with sensitive info.
Slow down. Scammers rely on panic and deadlines. A legitimate closing can survive a ten-minute verification call.

If something feels off, stop and call. I’d rather get a “hey, is this legit?” call at 9pm than a “I think I just wired my down payment to a criminal” call the next morning.

Beyond the wire: other real-estate scams

Fake rental listings: scammers copy real listing photos, advertise a too-good-to-be-true rent, and collect deposits on homes they don’t own. Never rent sight-unseen, and never wire a deposit before you’ve walked the property.
Vacant land scams: fraudsters list land they don’t own, often targeting out-of-area owners. If a land deal seems oddly easy, slow down and verify ownership through the county.
“Sign here” pressure: never sign anything you don’t fully understand. If someone rushes you past the fine print, that’s your cue to pause, not to hurry.

Fraud outside of real estate

Real estate isn’t the only hunting ground. The same skepticism applies to the IRS-call scams, the “your bank account is locked” texts, and the investment opportunity promising impossible returns. The tactics differ; the defense is the same: slow down, verify through a channel you trust, and never let urgency override judgment.

The bottom line

Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial moves you’ll ever make, which is exactly why scammers circle it. Staying vigilant, verifying everything, and working with people who take this stuff seriously are your best protection.

If you ever get an email, call, or text about your transaction that feels “off,” don’t hesitate to reach out. A quick double-check costs nothing. Sending your down payment to the wrong account costs everything.

Sarah Wiley, REALTOR® | Northstar Real Estate, LLC | 26 N Main St, Belmont, NC 28012 | Voice or Text 704.981.1120 | sarahwileyrealtor@gmail.com