Protect your home-sale proceeds by verifying payment instructions with the closing company through a trusted, independently confirmed contact. Never rely solely on an email requesting new bank details or a last-minute transfer. Real estate wire fraud can involve convincing messages that appear to come from someone already involved in your sale.
This guide is for Texas homeowners preparing for a Fort Worth or DFW closing. StrykCam Real Estate Investors is based in Springtown, Texas, and buys houses directly. Understanding our home-buying process includes understanding who handles closing and how funds will be delivered.
How can wire fraud affect a home seller?
A criminal may impersonate a closing professional or seller to redirect money. The message might ask you to send funds to a new account, provide sensitive account information, or appear to change where your proceeds should go. A familiar name or an existing email conversation does not establish that the request is authentic.
The FBI’s business email compromise guidance describes criminals using messages that look like legitimate requests from known contacts, including title-company wire instructions. Compromised accounts and similar-looking addresses can make a fraudulent message look credible.
Separate two situations: receiving your proceeds and sending money you owe at closing. Both require a verified process. If your sale requires funds from you, ask why, obtain the settlement figures, and confirm the receiving account through the closing company’s established procedure before transferring anything.
How should I verify closing and bank instructions?
Establish the closing company’s identity, contact details, and verification procedure early. Use a phone number you independently confirmed, not one supplied in an unexpected payment message. Ask the closing team how it authenticates your instructions and handles changes. Follow its secure process for submitting account information and confirming disbursement.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s closing-scam guidance recommends arranging a confirmation process in advance and being cautious about last-minute changes. Put that process in place while everyone has time to answer questions.
- Confirm the company’s full name and the person responsible for your file.
- Save its verified phone number separately from your email inbox.
- Ask how sensitive payment information should be submitted.
- Confirm what happens if either party needs to change instructions.
- Review the settlement figures and the agreed recipient of proceeds.
- Call through the trusted number if anything unexpected arrives.
Use our questions to ask a cash home buyer to clarify the buyer and proposed closing company before you reach the funding stage. A clear answer about who is closing is part of evaluating the offer.
What are the warning signs of a suspicious closing message?
Pause when a message introduces new account information, discourages a phone call, demands immediate action, or directs you to an unfamiliar portal. Small changes in an address or unexpected attachments also deserve checking. Treat the request as unverified until the closing company confirms it through the procedure you established earlier.
| Message or event | Your next step |
|---|---|
| Bank instructions change | Call the trusted closing contact before acting |
| New phone number supplied | Use the number you previously verified |
| Pressure to bypass verification | Stop and confirm the request independently |
| Unexpected attachment or login | Ask the closing team to confirm the secure delivery method |
Do not forward account details broadly to everyone in the transaction. Ask who actually needs them. Use a strong, unique email password and multifactor authentication, and avoid opening a payment document from an unfamiliar link merely because it mentions the property address.
What should I do if money may have gone to a scammer?
Contact your bank or wire-transfer provider immediately and explain that the transaction may be fraudulent. Notify the legitimate closing company using its trusted number. Preserve the message and transaction information, and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Quick action is important, but recovery is not guaranteed.
If you have not sent money, stop responding to the suspicious message and let the closing team investigate. If the concern is diverted proceeds rather than a payment you sent, ask the closing company to contact its bank immediately. Record who you spoke with and what action was requested.
Before funding, also understand the legitimate deductions from your proceeds. Our Texas mortgage payoff guide explains why the amount you receive can differ from the purchase price. Clarifying the numbers helps distinguish an expected settlement item from an unexplained request.
Home-sale wire fraud FAQs
Is an email inside an existing thread automatically safe?
No. An existing conversation can still contain a fraudulent request if an account has been compromised. The familiar subject line and property address do not verify the sender. Confirm any payment instructions or changes through your established phone contact and the closing company’s secure process before acting.
Can a cashier’s check remove every risk?
No payment method makes every transaction safe. The closing company must confirm which methods it accepts and how it verifies them. Do not change payment methods based on an unsolicited message. Ask your closing contact about its approved process and any timing requirements before arranging a check or transfer.
Should I give my bank information to the buyer?
Ask the closing company who needs your information and how to submit it securely. In a title-company closing, disbursement instructions should follow that company’s verified procedure. A request from another participant is not a reason to bypass the process or send financial details through an unverified email.
Know who is handling your closing
Contact StrykCam to discuss your proposed sale and ask about the title-company closing process. Confirm the people, numbers, and payment procedure early so an unexpected message does not force a rushed decision.
Sources and further reading
- FBI’s business email compromise guidance
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s closing-scam guidance
Sources checked October 7, 2026.
