Featured Resources
Video
Protect Your Money When Buying a Home from Scams
ALTA wants homeowners and sellers to be aware that criminals are using wire fraud schemes to steal money meant for home purchases or the proceeds from the sale of the property.
ALTA Insights Webinar
The State of Wire Fraud in the Title Industry
Significant progress has been made in our industry over the past few years on wire fraud awareness and education. The latest FBI IC3 and CertifID State of Wire Fraud reports contain some surprising findings.
Education Flyer
Seller Impersonation Fraud in Real Estate
Fraudsters are impersonating property owners to illegally sell commercial or residential property. Fraudsters are using the real property owner's Social Security and driver's license numbers in the transaction.
Policy + Tools
ALTA Outgoing Wire Preparation Checklist
ALTA's Information Security Committee developed this tool for members seeking best practices to verify outgoing wire information. The checklist is broken into three sections: provide the source of the wiring instructions, verify instructions received by email or from someone other than the payee, and verify delivery of wired funds.
ALTA Rapid Response Plan for Wire Fraud Incidents
The standard ALTA Rapid Response Plan for Wire Fraud Incidents has been developed by the ALTA Information Security Committee.
For Consumers
Protect Your Money When Buying a Home from Closing Scams
Buying and selling a home is an exciting time, but there can be pitfalls for unsuspecting consumers . The American Land Title Association wants homeowners and sellers to be aware that criminals are using wire fraud schemes to steal money meant for home purchases or the proceeds from the sale of the property.
Protect Your Money When Buying a Home from Closing Scams
Mortgage Closing Scams is one of the single costliest forms of fraud a homebuyer can fall victim to. This rack card is meant to be handed out any homeowner who is ready to purchase a home or added to the CPL packet. Available in Several languages
Seller Impersonation Fraud in Real Estate
Fraudsters are impersonating property owners to illegally sell commercial or residential property. Sophisticated fraudsters are using the real property owner's Social Security and driver's license numbers in the transaction, as well as legitimate notary credentials, which may be applied without the notary's knowledge.
In the News
Buyer Suffers Wire Transfer Fraud Loss, Not Escrow Company
A buyer bore the loss when she fell for the trap of phishing wire transfer instructions and wired the purchase money to a fraudster and not the escrow company, the Nevada court of appeals held in the case wheeler v. Clear title co., Inc.
The Latest Scam Vacant Land Fraud
Jaime Kosofsky had just spent a full day attending a cybersecurity conference hosted by Premier One. After eight hours of hearing about all the stuff that could go wrong, a founding partner of the North Carolina-based law firm Brady & ...
Training
The State of Wire Fraud in the Title Industry
Buying and selling a home is an exciting time, but there can be pitfalls for unsuspecting consumers. The American Land Title Association wants homeowners and sellers to be aware that criminals are using wire fraud schemes to steal money meant for home purchases or the proceeds from the sale of the property.
What is Phishing/Wire Fraud
Use this presentation to educate consumers about the dangers of phishing emails and wire transfer fraud. The presentation provides information on what to do if you've fallen victim to a scam and also highlights 10 tips to prevent wire fraud.
News
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First American Unveils Real-time Fraud Alert System
Available to all First American policy-issuing title agents, Order Insights is now included with AgentNet Services, the digital storefront for First American Title’s products and services that launched earlier this year.
Closinglock Unveils Wire Fraud Insurance Coverage
Closinglock provides up to $2.5 million in coverage per wire transfer verified through its secure platform. Backed by Lloyds of London, the policy offers direct coverage for Closinglock customers, helping them reduce liability and protect clients with confidence.
9 Red Flags to Identify Deepfakes Targeting Financial Institutions
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued an alert to help financial institutions identify fraud schemes associated with the use of deepfake media created with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools.
Real Estate Scams are on the Rise – Here’s What to Look Out For
Whether it's empty promises of lucrative pay days from flipping houses, fake property postings or deceptive mortgage relief schemes, real estate scams are on the rise, experts warn. The issue with these types of scams is that victims are at risk of losing a sizable amount of money given the monetary value of these transactions.
Don’t Send Your Down Payment Without First Taking This Simple Step
The ultimate target in wire fraud are homebuyers, many of them muddling through a long, complicated sale filled with seemingly endless steps and bewildering jargon. “It’s an overwhelming process, especially for first-time buyers,” says Diane Tomb, CEO of the American Land Title Association, who advises buyers to take the quick step of picking up the phone to verify the instructions before executing a wire transfer. ??It sounds simple, but it’s not simple when you’re in the middle of it."
Denver Couple Lost $30K in Email Scam Targeting Real Estate Deals
Experts are warning anyone buying or selling real estate after a Denver couple, days away from closing, lost tens of thousands of dollars. In 2023 Coloradans lost more than $57 million, in what's known as "BEC scams," or business email compromise, with real estate transactions as one target, according to the FBI.
Real Estate Scams are Skyrocketing. Here’s How to Protect Your Home Sale
It’s a shocking, intrusive crime. And it’s becoming more and more common. An unsuspecting homebuyer gets an email with instructions on where to wire funds for the real estate purchase. It seems to come from a real estate agent, an attorney or another person involved in the deal. But it's a fraud.
Old Republic Title, CertifID Partner to Combat Mortgage Payoff Fraud
CertifID and Old Republic Title formed a strategic partnership to help prevent mortgage payoff fraud in the title industry.
FBI Reports Cybercrime Losses Hit $12.5B, Record Number of Complaints Filed in 2023
The FBI received a record 880,418 complaints with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion in 2023, according to the 2023 Internet Crime Report.
Real Estate Fraud Risk is on the Rise, and Victims are Sounding the Alarm
Purchasing a home is an exciting milestone in a person's life, but criminals are increasingly exploiting such transactions through real estate fraud, robbing victims who are often left with little or no recourse.
Rynoh Unveils Account Verification Service
Rynoh released a new account verification service that allows title and escrow agents to confirm critical account information before sending a wire transaction.