- Never verify a wire using a phone number, link, or reply path from the email that changed the instructions.
- Before closing, save two trusted contacts and agree on how payment instructions will be confirmed.
- If a wire goes to the wrong place, call the bank immediately; waiting to investigate can make recovery harder.
The last-minute email is the attack
Mortgage-closing fraud works because the message often arrives when a buyer expects urgent paperwork and a large payment. A scammer impersonates an agent, attorney, escrow officer, or title company and asks the buyer to send closing funds to a new account. The writing can look legitimate because the scammer may know transaction details.
The defense is simple but strict: never change payment instructions from an email alone. Call a trusted person using a number you saved before the message arrived. Do not reply to the message, click its links, or use the number in its signature.
Set the rule before closing week
- On the day
- Confirm the amount, recipient, and process through a saved number.
- If anything changes
- Stop. Call the saved contact and verify every detail independently.
- On the day
- Keep closing documents and contact names together.
- If anything changes
- Do not send financial information by email.
- On the day
- Confirm before initiating the wire, not after.
- If anything changes
- If sent, call your bank's wire department immediately and request a recall.
What not to do
Do not assume a familiar display name proves who sent the email. Do not let a deadline override the call-back rule. And do not send bank-account details, identification, or wire confirmations through an email thread just because it appears connected to your transaction.
The settlement agent is responsible for the transfer process, but the people and rules vary by state. Ask who will handle funds at your closing and save that person's independently verified contact details before money is due.
Sources
- CFPB: beware of mortgage closing scams, accessed September 23, 2026.
- CFPB: who to expect at mortgage closing, accessed September 23, 2026.
- This is educational information, not legal or security advice for a specific transaction.
Frequently Asked Questions
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