Real estate wire fraud: warning signs for home sellers
Scammers near closing impersonate your agent or title company to redirect money. Here are the warning signs and how people verify instructions.
October 6, 2026 · 5 min read
Real estate targets the money moving during a home sale. Someone impersonates a person you trust near closing, often your agent or the or company. They try to redirect funds or steal your details.
The usual trick is a change to wire instructions sent by email or text at the last minute. The National Association of , which published a fraud resource in September 2026, says identity, ownership, wire instructions, banking information, and payment requests shouldn't be verified by email or text alone.
The common defense is simple. Before money moves, people call a trusted phone number they already have, not one from the message, and confirm the instructions by voice.
How often it happens
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received 12,368 real estate fraud complaints and reported more than $275 million in losses in 2025, according to NAR's report of the FBI figures. That FBI category is broader than wire fraud against home sellers. It also covers real estate investment fraud and fraud involving rental or timeshare property.
NAR also reported, citing CertifID's 2026 State of Wire Fraud report, that more than one in five consumers received suspicious communications during closing. In the same report, 57% of 150 title and escrow companies said they saw suspicious activity at least quarterly, and 60% said fraud attempts were increasing.
These figures use different counts and cover different groups, so they don't need to match. Together they show one pattern. The risk is real, and it clusters around the days when money is about to move.
How the scam reaches a seller
A closing involves several people a seller may not know well: the other side's agent, a title company, a settlement agent, and sometimes an attorney. Money changes hands, often by wire. That mix is what the scam exploits.
The CFPB describes closing scams as impersonating a real estate agent or , such as a , , or attorney, to steal closing funds. The impostor watches for the period near closing. Then they send instructions that look like they came from the right person.
A newer version uses faked audio or video. NAR's consumer guide on deepfakes describes scammers imitating a real person's voice or face to make a request seem genuine. A familiar-sounding voice on its own no longer proves who's calling.
The warning signs sellers can watch for
NAR's red-flag guide lists signals that a message about money may not be genuine. No single one proves fraud, but any of them is a reason to slow down and verify.
- An unexpected change to wire instructions. A new account number or bank, especially close to closing.
- A slightly altered email address. One letter off from the real one, or a look-alike domain.
- Documents that don't match earlier ones, or details that have quietly changed.
- Pressure and urgency. A push to send money now, before the details can be checked.
- A refusal to verify identity, or insistence on one messaging app or email account only.
- A request to pay in cryptocurrency or by an unusual method.
How people verify before money moves
The step most guidance agrees on is a phone call to a number you already trust. NAR recommends independently calling a trusted phone number, or using another contact method you obtained yourself, to confirm wire or money-transfer instructions. The number in the email doesn't count.
The CFPB suggests making a list of trusted contacts before closing, then calling them directly to confirm the process and the payment instructions. Having the list ready means you aren't searching for a number inside a suspicious message.
NAR's guide also notes that secure or encrypted messaging is safer than a free email account for sensitive details, and that property documents and ownership are worth verifying independently rather than trusting a single email.
Keeping the people and documents for your sale in one place makes a last-minute change easier to spot. A room on Keighbor holds your contacts and your documents together, so a new email address or a changed instruction stands out against what you already have.
What people do after a suspected wrong transfer
If money has already gone to the wrong place, speed is what the guidance stresses. NAR's consumer guidance says the first 24 to 48 hours are generally the most critical.
- Contact the sending bank immediately. Ask about its fraud procedures and request a recall or reversal of the transfer.
- Notify the other people in the transaction, such as your agent and the title or escrow company, so they can watch for related activity.
- Report it. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov takes real estate and wire fraud reports.
Whether a transfer can be recalled depends on the bank, the amount, and how fast it's caught. None of that is certain. That's why people rely on the verifying call before money moves.
Where to get answers for your own sale
This is general information, not legal advice about your transaction. The people who can confirm instructions for your sale are already in it: your title company or settlement agent for wire details, and an attorney in your state for anything about ownership or a disputed escrow.
The one habit that runs through every guide is the same. Before money moves, people verify by a phone number they already trust.
How does real estate wire fraud target home sellers?
Someone impersonates a person near closing, often your agent or the title or escrow company, and sends changed wire or payment instructions, usually by email or text. The goal is to redirect money or collect your banking details. The CFPB describes these as mortgage closing scams. The usual defense is to confirm any instructions by a phone number you already trust before sending anything.
What are the warning signs of a wire fraud attempt?
NAR's red-flag guide lists an unexpected change to wire instructions, a slightly altered email address or look-alike domain, documents that don't match earlier ones, pressure to act fast, a refusal to verify identity by phone, and requests to pay in cryptocurrency or an unusual way. No single sign proves fraud, but any of them is a reason to stop and verify independently.
How do you verify wire instructions safely?
The common step is to call a phone number you already have for your title company, settlement agent, or attorney, not a number from the message, and confirm the instructions by voice. The CFPB suggests building a list of trusted contacts before closing. NAR adds that identity, ownership, and payment details shouldn't be confirmed by email or text alone.
What should you do if money was wired to a scammer?
Guidance stresses speed. NAR says the first 24 to 48 hours are generally the most critical. People contact the sending bank immediately and ask for its fraud procedures and a recall, notify the others in the transaction, and report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Whether a transfer can be reversed is never certain.
Why is vacant land a common fraud target?
Empty homes and vacant lots draw seller-impersonation scams, where someone pretends to own a property to sell it. In an NAR survey, 62% of reported title-fraud cases involved vacant land and 12% involved owner-occupied homes. An owner living out of state, remote-only contact, and below-market pricing are patterns these cases often share.
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