Wire Fraud When Buying a Home in Texas: Protect Your Funds

The simplest defense against wire fraud when buying a home in Texas is one rule: never send earnest money or cash to close based on instructions from an email, text, or unexpected call until you confirm them with your title company using a phone number you found yourself. Scammers pose as title companies, real estate agents, attorneys, and mortgage professionals. They use look-alike email addresses, spoofed phone numbers, and now cloned voices. Their goal is to make a fake request feel routine: “Here are the updated wire instructions. Please send the money today.”

Home purchases are a target because large, time-sensitive payments move fast. In Texas, earnest money is usually due within days of signing, and cash to close is due right before closing. A rushed request is exactly what criminals want.

TL;DR

As soon as you are under contract, save your title company’s main phone number from your contract, its official website or an office visit.

Set a code phrase with your trusted contacts. A familiar voice is no longer proof of identity.

Before every wire, call the title company at that saved number and read back the account name, account number and amount.

Treat any “updated” or changed wire instructions as fraud until the title company confirms them through a known channel.

If money goes to the wrong place, call your bank right away to request a recall, then file a report at ic3.gov and tell the title company.

Why closing wire fraud is in the news

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the real estate industry is sounding the alarm about AI. On October 19, 2026, Inman described “multi-channel” voice phishing: a cloned voice of a title agent or attorney calls the buyer to expect an email about last-minute wire changes, and minutes later the fake email arrives. Because the buyer was “verified” by phone, they lower their guard. Inman also warned that scammers use closing details posted online to time fake instructions, and that escalating within the first 24 to 48 hours is the most effective way to freeze a fraudulent wire. The same day, the American Land Title Association announced a cybercrime survey with CertifID on the threats facing title companies, homebuyers and sellers, open through November 6.

Earlier this month, the National Association of REALTORS (October 5) quoted its director of cybersecurity: “Voice alone is no longer reliable proof of identity.” NAR’s experts recommend setting a code word early, treating any new wire instructions as suspect, and verifying through a phone number you already have.

Small details matter. WKMG News 6 in Orlando reported on October 7 that a Florida couple wired $38,805.17 after emails from a spoofed address that looked like their title company’s. The only difference was “.co” instead of “.com.” Investigators say the suspect withdrew $33,100 the same day. He has been charged and has pleaded not guilty.

How big is the risk for Texas buyers?

The FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report ranks Texas second in the nation, with 97,912 complaints and about $1.83 billion in reported losses in 2025. Nationwide, business email compromise, the FBI category that includes many fake wire instruction scams, drew 24,768 complaints and about $3.05 billion in reported losses. Those totals cover all kinds of internet crime, not just home purchases, but they show why a familiar-looking email deserves a second look.

Industry data points the same way. CertifID, a wire fraud prevention company, says in its 2026 State of Wire Fraud Report that 22% of surveyed homebuyers received a fraudulent or suspicious communication during their closing last year. In CertifID’s recovery cases, buyer cash-to-close fraud was the most common type, at 30%.

Your contract-to-keys plan for wire fraud when buying a home in Texas

1. At contract: save verified contacts first

Texas timelines move fast. Under paragraph 5A of the TREC One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), the buyer must deliver the earnest money and option fee to the escrow agent within 3 days after the effective date. So your first payment may come before you understand how your title company works. As soon as the contract is signed:

Write down the title company’s exact name, your escrow officer’s name, and the main office phone number.
Get that number from your contract, the title company’s official website or an office visit, never from an email or text.
Ask how the title company will send payment instructions and how it wants you to confirm them.
Pick a code phrase with your agent and title contact. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau suggests naming two trusted people who can confirm payment details and choosing a code phrase only they know.

You can choose any title company in Texas. The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) recommends making sure the title agent is licensed by TDI, which you can verify through its Help Line at 800-252-3439.

2. Before every wire: call, then read it back

This is the most important step. Before you send earnest money, an option fee, or cash to close, call the title company at the number you saved. Ask your escrow officer to confirm the instructions, and read back the recipient name, account number, and amount.

Do not rely on a phone number or link in the email that sent the instructions, a number from a text or voicemail you did not expect, or a voice that sounds like someone you know. If the instructions change, even in an email that seems to come from the same person, stop. Treat the change as fraud until the title company confirms it through your saved number. The CFPB also says email is never a secure way to send sensitive financial or personal information, so do not email account numbers or copies of your ID unless the title company gives you a secure method you have verified.

Our team at The Texas Mortgage Pros will never send you wire instructions. We are a mortgage broker, not a title company, and we do not handle closing funds. Your payment instructions should come from your title company, and you should confirm them directly with them.

A Texas homebuyer calls her title company to verify wire instructions while comparing a printed page with her laptop at a bright kitchen table

3. After you send it: confirm receipt right away

Don’t assume the money arrived just because your bank says the wire went out. TDI advises buyers to verify electronic payment instructions with the title agent and, after paying, to immediately confirm the payment was received. Call your saved number, and write down the date, time, amount, and the name of the person who confirmed it. It also helps to send wires during business hours, when the title company and your bank can answer the phone. Our guide to Texas closing costs explains what goes into your cash to close, so you understand why you’re asked to send that amount.

4. If something goes wrong: act within minutes, not days

If you think you sent money to the wrong account, do not wait to see whether it clears.

Call your bank now. Ask for the fraud or wire department and request a recall. The FBI says time is of the essence and that you should contact your financial institution immediately.
File a complaint at ic3.gov. The FBI says to file regardless of the amount lost and to include full transaction details.
Tell your title company and agent using verified numbers.
Keep everything: emails with full sender addresses, texts, call logs, wire receipts, and the names of everyone you speak with.
Report it in Texas, too. TDI points consumers to the Texas Attorney General, the Federal Trade Commission, and local police.

Fast reports can make a difference, though recovery is never certain. The FBI’s Recovery Asset Team froze about $679 million of $1.16 billion in attempted thefts it worked on in 2025, a 58% success rate. In one FBI report, homebuyers wired more than $449,000 after an email impersonated their attorneys. After they filed an IC3 complaint, the receiving bank confirmed the full amount was still in the account and on hold.

5. After closing: watch your property record

Fraud does not always stop at the closing table. TDI’s February 2026 warning on seller impersonation fraud explains how criminals forge documents to sell a house they do not own, often a vacant home listed below market value. Red flags include a “seller” who wants only a cash buyer, will not come to closing, wants to use their own remote notary, or wants the sale money sent directly to them. TDI recommends seeing the house in person, using a trusted in-person notary, and buying title insurance.

Some Texas counties offer free alerts when documents are recorded. The Harris County Clerk’s Property Alert System emails you, usually within one to two business days, when a document is filed under your registered name. Dallas County offers a free property fraud alert service. Elsewhere, ask your county clerk whether a similar service exists.

Closing funds do’s and don’ts

Do and avoid checklist for protecting closing funds when buying a Texas home: do save the title company's number early, call it before every wire, use a private code phrase and confirm receipt right away; avoid wiring from emailed instructions, trusting a familiar voice alone, calling numbers in the message and waiting if a wire looks wrong

Do

Save the title company’s main number before any money is due.
Call that number before every wire and read back the details.
Use a private code phrase with your trusted contacts.
Confirm receipt with the title company right after you send money.
Slow down when a message pushes urgency, secrecy, or a last-minute change.
Keep a written record of every payment and confirmation.

Avoid

Wiring money based on instructions you received only by email, text, or voicemail.
Trusting a familiar voice or caller ID alone.
Clicking links or calling numbers in an unexpected message.
Emailing bank details or copies of your ID through regular email.
Ignoring a small change in an email address, like “.co” instead of “.com”.
Waiting until tomorrow if you think a wire went to the wrong place.

FAQ

Will my title company email me wire instructions?

Practices vary, so ask at the start how your title company sends instructions and how you should confirm them. Either way, do not rely on email alone. Call the number you saved from your contract, the company’s official website, or an office visit before you send anything.

Is a phone call enough to verify a wire?

Only if you dial a number you found yourself. Do not call a number from the email, text,t or voicemail. Because voices can be cloned and caller ID can be spoofed, use your code phrase and read back the details to your escrow officer.

What if my agent or loan officer sends me wire instructions?

Do not wire based on that message alone. Confirm the instructions directly with the title company at your saved number. The Texas Mortgage Pros does not send wire instructions.

What should I do if I already wired money to a suspicious account?

Call your bank right away and request a recall, file a complaint at ic3.gov with full details, notify your title company using a verified number, and keep every record. Quick action can help, but recovery is not guaranteed.

Does title insurance cover wire fraud?

Do not assume it does. An owner’s title policy protects your ownership against covered title problems, such as fraud or forgery in earlier paperwork, under the policy’s terms and exclusions. Ask your title company what its policy covers, and keep verifying every payment.

Talk with a Texas mortgage broker

Protecting yourself from wire fraud when buying a home in Texas comes down to a repeatable habit: verify every payment with your title company, every time. The Texas Mortgage Pros is a mortgage broker. We can help you understand your loan timeline, what you will need at closing, and your home purchase loan options from the wholesale mortgage companies we work with, subject to qualification and program availability. Call (877) 280-4833, apply online, or contact our team with questions. First-time buyer? See our first-time homebuyer loans and our guide to first-time homebuyer programs in Texas.

Official sources

Wikipedy.com is not affiliated with or endorsed by the FBI, the Internet Crime Complaint Center, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, the Texas Department of Insurance, the Texas Real Estate Commission, the Texas Attorney General, Harris County, Dallas County, the National Association of REALTORS, the American Land Title Association, CertifID, Inman, WKMG or any title company, and this is not a government document.

The Texas Mortgage Pros, LLC | Company NMLS #2665861 | Equal Housing Opportunity | www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org | (877) 280-4833

Equal Housing Opportunity. We do business in accordance with federal fair lending laws.

Wire Fraud When Buying a Home in Texas: How to Protect Your Closing Funds

ByGerry Nicodemus