Free templateWire fraud warning template for real estate buyers
Send buyers a short wire fraud warning when the file opens and again with the closing instructions: wire instructions will never change by email; before sending money, call the title or escrow company at a number you already know; if anything looks different, stop and call; and if money was sent, call your bank right away and report it at ic3.gov. Below is a template in English and Spanish you can copy.
Template – English (copy)
Important: protect your closing funds. Wire fraud targets home buyers. Our team and the title company will NEVER change wire instructions by email, text or phone call. Before you send any money, call the title company at [title company phone number from the start of the deal or its official website] and confirm the instructions out loud. Do not use phone numbers or links from an email with wire instructions. If anything looks different or urgent, stop and call us. If you think you sent money to the wrong account, call your bank immediately, ask it to recall the wire, and report it at ic3.gov.
Plantilla – español (copie)
Importante: proteja los fondos de su cierre. El fraude en transferencias apunta a los compradores de vivienda. Nuestro equipo y la compañía de títulos NUNCA cambiarán las instrucciones de transferencia por correo, texto ni llamada. Antes de enviar dinero, llame a la compañía de títulos al [teléfono de la compañía de títulos recibido al inicio de la operación o de su sitio web oficial] y confirme las instrucciones en voz alta. No use teléfonos ni enlaces de un correo con instrucciones de transferencia. Si algo se ve distinto o urgente, deténgase y llámenos. Si cree que envió dinero a una cuenta equivocada, llame de inmediato a su banco, pida que recupere la transferencia y repórtelo en ic3.gov.
When to send it
- When the file opens – together with the earnest money instructions.
- Again with the closing instructions and the final cash-to-close amount.
- Whenever anyone in the deal mentions a change of account.
Never put in a message
- Bank account or routing numbers – the title company gives them by its own secure process.
- A phone number copied from an email you cannot verify.
Questions about wire fraud warnings
What should a wire fraud warning say?
That wire instructions never change by email, that the buyer must verify by phone at a known number before sending money, and what to do immediately if money was sent.
When should a TC send the wire fraud warning?
When the file opens and again with the closing instructions – and any time someone mentions a change of account.
Should the warning include the wire instructions?
No. Keep account numbers out of messages; the title company provides them through its own process.
What if the buyer already wired money to a scammer?
Call the bank immediately to request a recall and file a complaint at ic3.gov.
Do you have the template in Spanish?
Yes – the Spanish version is above, ready to copy.
Related
In ClosingCode every file has a "send the wire-fraud warning" task with this message ready in English and Spanish – and messages with bank account numbers are blocked.
Start free trialGuidance based on FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center PSA I-060923-PSA (June 9, 2023): verify changes through a secondary channel; after a fraudulent transfer, contact the bank and request a recall, and file at ic3.gov.
A general template – adapt it to your brokerage's and title company's procedures. ClosingCode is software; it is not a law firm, bank or brokerage.