Wire fraud prevention
Wire fraud is the #1 closing risk.
Here is how we protect you.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reports billions in real estate wire fraud losses annually, with average per-victim losses between $50,000 and $100,000. The money rarely comes back. The threat is real, but the defense is procedural. Read this page before your closing day.
We never send wire instructions in plain email.
(586) 991-6219The scam
How real estate wire fraud happens.
Understanding the mechanics of the fraud is the first step in recognizing it when it is aimed at you. These attacks are patient, precise, and timed to the most vulnerable moment of your transaction.
01
Email compromise
Fraudsters compromise email accounts of real estate agents, attorneys, or title company staff through phishing attacks that can happen months before the target transaction.
02
Lookalike domain
They register a domain that looks nearly identical to the title company's (for example, @allegnce-title.com instead of @allegiance-title.com, one letter off), or they spoof the From header outright.
03
Intercept timing
Monitoring the email thread, they wait until the buyer has been told that wire instructions are coming, then send fraudulent instructions before the real ones arrive.
04
Funds wired to fraudster
The buyer wires earnest money or closing funds to the criminal account. Once the money moves internationally, recovery is rare even with immediate FBI involvement.
Our protections
We don't email wire instructions in plain text.
Every procedural step below is designed so that a successful attack requires compromising multiple independent channels simultaneously. That combination dramatically reduces risk.
01
Secure portal delivery
Wire instructions for closings are delivered through an encrypted portal with multi-factor authentication. You receive a link with a one-time access code confirmed by phone.
02
Phone verification
Before any outbound wire from our escrow account, we verify the receiving routing and account numbers by phone with a known good contact at the destination institution.
03
Inbound verification
When you receive instructions to wire funds to us, you must call our office at a number you have used before (not a number printed on the instructions) and verify the wire details out loud.
04
Same-day acknowledgment
As soon as funds land in our escrow account, we acknowledge receipt by phone. If you do not get that call within an hour of wiring, contact us immediately.
05
Limited authorized senders
Only specific Allegiance team members are authorized to send wire instructions. Their direct phone numbers and titles are listed in the closing kickoff email every client receives.
Your checklist
Five rules to live by before you wire a dollar.
The best protection is also the simplest: pick up the phone. All five rules below come back to that single habit.
01
Call us, don't email
Always call to verify wire instructions, even if they look identical to ones you received an hour ago. Email is not a safe verification channel.
02
Use a number you trust
Don't call the number printed on the wire instructions document. Call our main line: (586) 991-6219. You already have it. Use it.
03
Be suspicious of last-minute changes
Wire instructions changed at the last minute are the number one red flag in real estate fraud. We never change wire instructions by email. If you see a change, stop and call.
04
Don't trust email alone
Even if the From address looks exactly right, the email could be spoofed or the sending account could be compromised months before this transaction.
05
Call back to confirm receipt
After wiring, call our office to confirm funds landed before you assume everything is fine. Don't wait for our call. Stolen funds are rarely recovered once an international transfer clears.
Red flags
Stop if you see any of these.
- Urgency or pressure to wire immediately
- Last-minute changes to routing or account numbers
- A different signature block or email footer than previous messages
- An email that comes from a slightly different domain (check every character)
- Instructions to wire to a different bank than previously discussed
- Any request to keep the wire instructions confidential from your agent
If something feels wrong
Stop. Call us. The wire can wait.
Don't wire.
No matter how much pressure you feel, do not initiate the transfer until you have spoken to a trusted contact by voice.
Call (586) 991-6219 from a phone you trust.
Use a phone that has not been involved in the suspicious communication. We will verify your wire instructions or confirm that something is wrong.
If you've already wired, act immediately.
Call your bank right now to attempt a recall. Time is measured in minutes, not hours. Then file a complaint with the FBI IC3 at ic3.gov.
Notify your agent and Allegiance.
Alert everyone in the transaction so they can warn other parties. A compromised email thread can expose multiple transactions.
Questions about wire safety
When in doubt, call first.
Our team is available weekdays 9 AM to 5 PM. If you have any question about a wire, an email, or instructions you received, call before you act. We would rather take ten verification calls than have one client lose their closing funds.