TL;DR
- Pause a changed closing-wire request until you independently verify it with the intended recipient. A familiar email thread or correct closing amount is not enough.
- Call a trusted number established before the request, not the number supplied in the change email. Confirm the recipient and full payment instructions through the agreed secure process.
- Keep the amount check separate from the destination check. Record who verified the instructions, when, and whether any mismatch remains before authorizing payment.
- If funds have already gone to a suspected fraudulent account, contact the sending bank immediately to request a recall or reversal, then report through IC3. Recovery is not guaranteed.
Changed instructions mean stop and verify
If someone emails new account information for your purchase funds, do not send the wire while you investigate. Contact the closing professional through a previously established, independently trusted channel and ask whether the change is authentic. Do not use a phone number, link or reply address supplied only in the message you are trying to verify.
The FBI's current business email compromise guidance, checked November 11, 2026, recommends secondary channels or two-factor authentication to verify requests for changes in account information with the intended recipient. The scam can involve a compromised legitimate business account. An email that looks familiar is therefore not independent confirmation.
This is a payment-verification workflow, not advice about which account should receive your specific purchase funds. Your bank and closing team must establish the actual payment process.
Establish the trusted contact before money is due
At the start of the closing work, ask the closing office how it provides payment instructions, who can confirm them, and how you can reach that person independently. Record the trusted contact details in your private closing file. Ask how the office handles a purported account change and how it confirms receipt after payment.
The CFPB's closing-scam article recommends confirming instructions in person or through a previously agreed phone number. That article is archived and may contain outdated information. Its contact-verification advice supports the current FBI guidance; its old loss figures are not evidence of today's prevalence.
If you have no established contact, independently establish the office's identity and contact route before relying on any payment instructions. Calling the number in the questionable message only asks the same source to vouch for itself. An incoming caller claiming to be the office does not resolve that problem either.
Use two separate checks before sending
First reconcile the amount with the current closing accounting. Then authenticate the destination and instructions with the intended recipient through the agreed secure process. Getting the first check right does not complete the second.
| Private decision record | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Current closing amount | Closing team explains the amount and resolves accounting differences. |
| Source of instructions | Record how and when instructions arrived, including any claimed change. |
| Independent verification | You initiate contact through the previously trusted route; record the role and verification time. |
| Destination confirmation | Confirm account name, account number, routing details and other required instructions through the approved secure process. |
| Bank timing | Ask your bank about its actual cutoff, transfer procedure and confirmation process. |
| Open mismatch | Identify the owner and next check. An unresolved mismatch means do not send yet. |
| Receipt | After sending verified instructions, confirm receipt with the closing office through the trusted channel. |
Keep bank details in the bank's or closing office's appropriate secure system, not a shared marketing spreadsheet. A general project ledger can record that verification occurred without copying full account numbers. Confirming an amount, a name or only the last few digits should not replace the full verification process the bank and closing team require. A small test payment is not proof that a larger transfer is safe.
A fictional last-minute change
Invented worksheet example. A buyer expects to bring $42,500 to closing. An email in an existing-looking thread says the office changed banks and asks for the same $42,500 by 2 p.m.
| Check | Observation | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | $42,500 matches the current accounting | Amount reconciled; destination still unverified. |
| Contact source | New phone number appears only in the change email | Do not use that number as independent verification. |
| Trusted callback | Buyer calls the office using the number established earlier | Ask the known professional to verify the instructions securely. |
| Result | Known professional says no change was authorized | Do not send; notify the office and bank of the suspected attempt. |
If the office instead confirms a legitimate change, complete its secure verification process and resolve the bank's requirements before sending. If you cannot reach the trusted contact before the cutoff, the payment is unresolved. Tell the closing team promptly so it can address the scheduling issue. A looming deadline does not authenticate an account.
If you already sent the money
Contact the originating bank immediately through its trusted fraud/contact route. Explain the suspected fraudulent wire and request a recall or reversal. The FBI incident guidance also discusses bank indemnity documentation and directs victims to file a detailed IC3 complaint. Ask the bank what it needs rather than trying to manufacture bank forms yourself.
Use the official IC3 site for reporting, preserve the messages and transfer records, and alert your verified closing contact. Provide sensitive details only through appropriate bank and official reporting channels. A request to recover funds is not a promise they will be recovered; do not wait for an email reply before contacting the bank.
The wider contract-to-closing handoff tracks owners, dates and unresolved issues. Payment authentication is a separate condition within that work, not something a signed contract settles.
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