Important Warning
Real Estate Wire Fraud — Protect Your Closing Funds
Business Email Compromise (BEC) targeting real estate is one of the FBI's top-reported internet crimes, with billions in losses reported to IC3 every year. Criminals monitor email between buyers, agents, lenders, and title companies, then send fake wiring instructions at the worst possible moment. Once funds are wired, recovery is rare.
Our rule: we will never send you new or updated wire instructions by email alone. If you receive any — even from an address you recognize — call us at 540-972-2009 before sending a dollar.
Our Rules for Safe Closings
Follow these simple rules and you'll dramatically reduce your risk of becoming a target.
1. Call to verify — every time
Before sending any funds, call our office at a number you already know (from our website, your closing disclosure, or a prior call) and verbally confirm the routing number, account number, beneficiary name, and bank. Never use a number from an email or attachment.
2. Assume email changes are fraud
Our wiring instructions do not change. If you receive an email claiming new, updated, or corrected instructions — even from us, your agent, or your lender — treat it as fraud until you confirm by phone.
3. Inspect every email address
Criminals register look-alike domains (lostgrovetitle.com, locustgrovetitlle.com). Hover over the sender, check headers, and look at every character. A reply that lands in the wrong thread is a red flag.
4. Use a wire — not a personal check or app
Funds at closing are sent by domestic bank wire. We do not accept Zelle, Venmo, Cash App, cryptocurrency, or gift cards. Anyone asking you to use those is a scammer.
5. Loop in your lender and agent
Before sending, copy your lender and Realtor on a verification call. Multiple sets of eyes catch what one person might miss in a stressful moment.
6. Confirm receipt the same day
After wiring, call us to confirm the funds arrived. The first 24 hours are critical for any recall attempt if something has gone wrong.
If You Suspect Fraud — Act Immediately
Time is critical. If you think you've sent funds to the wrong account, or you've received a suspicious email pretending to be from us:
- Within minutes: Call your bank's fraud line and request a SWIFT recall and Financial Fraud Kill Chain (FFKC) freeze. The faster, the better — the FBI has the best chance of recovery within 72 hours.
- Call our office at 540-972-2009 so we can alert all parties and pause any pending transactions.
- File a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov — include the wire amount, sending and receiving bank details, and any emails.
- Contact your local law enforcement and your state attorney general. Save every email, attachment, and screenshot.
When in doubt — pick up the phone. We'd rather take ten phone calls than see one family lose their savings. Contact us.