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
Recent 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022
12 Real Estate Scams to Watch Out For
Reported losses in the U.S. from real-estate and wire-transfer fraud soared to $12.5 billion in 2023, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Navigating the real estate world can feel like trying to identify weeds in a new garden patch; some are obvious, while others look deceptively like the real deal. We are here to help you spot the poison ivy before you get a rash.
Strategies to Combat Wire Fraud
In 2012, former FBI Director Robert Mueller opined, “There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be.” That statement rings true 13 years later. Today, wire fraud remains one of the most pressing threats facing title and escrow companies. Fraudsters are becoming increasingly sophisticated, leveraging business email compromise, seller impersonation and even deepfake technology to infiltrate transactions. As the threats have escalated, the types of strategies criminals use to steal funds continue to evolve. This highlights the importance of continuous training, robust verification processes and industry collaboration to protect businesses and consumers from financial loss.
‘Everything at That Moment was Gone’: This West Virginia Couple Lost Their $255K Nest Egg in Real Estate Scam
After months of house-hunting, Raegan Bartlo and her husband finally found their dream home in a small West Virginia community just a few hours from Washington, D.C. But that dream became a nightmare as a few days before the closing, Bartlo received an email she thought was from her title company. The email provided instructions on how to wire the money for closing. She wired the $255,000 down payment as per the email’s directions.
Protecting Homeowners From Cybercriminals
Housing is a major driver of the U.S. economy. The industry sector contributes an estimated 18% of the national gross domestic product, or GDP, and the value of U.S. homes represents more than $50 trillion in household wealth in the form of home equity. Unfortunately, criminals have become adept at using technology to take advantage of unsuspecting consumers, writes ALTA CEO Diane Tomb and CertifID Executive Chairman Thomas Cronkright II.
Guarding Your Closing Funds: Strategies to Combat Wire Fraud
Listen to this webinar recording as experts examine emerging fraudulent schemes, including the use of AI deepfake technology and seller impersonation, and provide essential strategies for companies to protect themselves and their clients.
‘Everything at That Moment was Gone’: This West Virginia Couple Lost Their $255K Nest Egg, Life Savings in Real Estate Scam
After months of house-hunting, Raegan Bartlo and her husband finally found their dream home in a small West Virginia community just a few hours from Washington, D.C. But that dream became a nightmare as a few days before the closing, Bartlo received an email she thought was from her title company. The email provided instructions on how to wire the money for closing. She wired the $255,000 down payment as per the email’s directions.