STOP — VERIFY — CALL
WIRE FRAUD ALERT & PREVENTION NOTICE
Congratulations on entering into a contract to buy or sell real estate. However, you are now a target for cybercriminals and should exercise extreme caution when sending or receiving wire instructions and transmitting funds. Please take this warning seriously. Over $3 billion was lost in 2025 due to business email compromise and related cyber fraud.
Cybercriminals actively target real estate transactions by impersonating trusted parties and inserting fraudulent wiring instructions.
Even one mistake can result in permanent loss of funds.
Wire fraud losses are typically NOT covered by insurance.
WHY YOU ARE A TARGET
Information related to your real estate transaction, including property details and contact information, is often publicly available or exposed through data breaches and sold on the dark web for minimal cost. Because of this, cybercriminals actively target real estate transactions.
HOW FRAUD HAPPENS
- Criminals hack a device or email account and monitor a transaction
- They impersonate trusted parties (title, realtor, lender)
- They send fraudulent wiring instructions or often change the legitimate ones previously sent
- Funds are sent to a fraudulent account
These hackers are very skilled at impersonating trusted parties. They do this all day, every day. Do not underestimate them.
DO NOT RELY ON:
- Wiring instructions sent by email or unsecured communication channels.
- ANY change to previously issued wiring instructions
- Requests to bypass verification procedures
How to protect your funds
- AVOID PUBLIC WIFI
Avoid public wifi leading up to and during a transaction (airport, hotels, restaurants, cruise ships, etc.) If you have recently used public wifi, you should opt out of the wire transmission process. - USE APPROVED PAYMENT METHODS ONLY
Follow your title company’s approved methods for transferring funds. - WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOUR TITLE COMPANY & ONLY YOUR TITLE COMPANY
All wiring instructions must come directly from your title company.
DO NOT rely on instructions from your agent, lender, or unsecured email communications. - VERIFY USING A TRUSTED PHONE NUMBER
Before sending funds, call your title company using a verified phone number obtained independently. DO NOT use phone numbers provided in emails. The phone numbers below reflect the local title companies that authorized inclusion in this notice.
VERIFIED TITLE COMPANY NUMBERS Pioneer Title Company (509) 663-1125 Fig (509) 662-4721 First American Title Company (509) 663-8555 - USE SECURE VERIFICATION SYSTEMS
Your title company may use secure platforms such as CertifID. YOU MUST complete all verification steps. These systems are designed to protect your funds and may provide insurance when completed. - FINAL VERIFICATION BEFORE SENDING FUNDS
Immediately before wiring funds, call your title company one last time to confirm instructions. This final step may correct any critical mistakes previously made. - Consider alternatives such as cashier’s checks to reduce fraud risk.
NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES
- Wire instructions will NEVER change by email
- Do NOT trust wiring instructions sent by email, text, or attachments
- ALWAYS verify instructions by phone using a trusted number
IF ANYTHING CHANGES:
STOP — DO NOT SEND FUNDS — CALL YOUR TITLE COMPANY