Hackers Perpetrate Wire Transfer Fraud In Real Estate Transactions
Be careful – always double check and verify banking information prior to sending any funds!
Wire transfer instructions are emailed to the buyer. The buyer complies with the instructions to the letter. The next day, escrow contacts the buyer asking if the money has been sent yet. The buyer checks with his bank and is assured that the funds have been transferred out. When the money has still not shown up, everyone begins to retrace steps. As it turns out, the wiring instruction was bogus. The email came from an address that looked very much like that of the escrow or title company, but it was not actually theirs.
And the recipient bank account? It was real; it just wasn’t the correct one. And, yes, it has been emptied out by now.
Read more here.
Source: Realty Times, December 8, 2014