Wire Fraud at Closing in Crown Point: How Buyers Protect Their Money

Wire fraud at closing in Crown Point starts with an email that looks real and tells you the wire instructions changed. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) says never to follow wire instructions that come in an email. Confirm them first with two trusted people, by phone or in person. At our Crown Point shop we set up those two contacts with you at the first meeting, long before any money moves.

We’re the shop on South Main in Crown Point. Love Thy Neighbor. Call (219) 801-0432.

Got an email about wire instructions that feels off? Call (219) 801-0432 before you send anything. Still shopping? Search homes for sale. You can see homes for sale and sold homes across Indiana and Illinois there.

This is how our shop protects buyers in Crown Point and the Northwest Indiana towns we work, plus what the CFPB and the FBI publish. Start the buyer path on Buy. More buying guides are in our buying guides. Short questions go to Ask Realest.

How the closing scam works

The CFPB post on mortgage closing scams says scammers try to break into the email of real estate professionals. They watch the messages, find a closing that is coming up, and then email the buyer while posing as the agent, the settlement agent, or a lawyer. That email carries fake instructions for wiring the closing funds.

The same post, from 2019, says FBI reports of these attempts rose 1,100 percent between 2015 and 2017. It puts the estimated 2017 loss at nearly $1 billion in real estate transaction costs.

In a CFPB webinar on wire fraud in May 2019, the speaker, then president of the American Land Title Association, said buyers are most exposed at two points. One is the earnest money deposit. The other is the wire for cash to close.

The CFPB steps before you wire

1. Pick two trusted people. The CFPB says to name two people, such as your Realtor and your settlement agent, and talk through the closing and how money will move, in person or by phone. It suggests a code phrase only you and they know.

2. Write their numbers down. The CFPB Mortgage Closing Checklist has a spot for both names and phone numbers, and a box to tick once each number is saved.

3. Confirm by phone, never by reply. The CFPB says to verify the instructions, including the account name and number, in person or at the phone number you agreed on. Skip any phone number or link inside the email.

4. Keep account numbers out of email. The CFPB says email is never a secure way to send financial information.

5. Watch the phone too. The CFPB says scammers may call and ask you to verify personal or financial details. When in doubt, call your trusted contacts back.

Want us to walk the money steps with you before closing week? Call our shop at (219) 801-0432. We answer the phone on South Main. Or look around first: Search homes for sale.

Red flags in a wire email

A last-minute change. The CFPB checklist says closing funds are tempting targets and warns that emails with last-minute changes to payment or wire instructions may be a scam.

A title company that suddenly has a new account. The webinar speaker said it is not common for title companies to change wiring instructions while a sale is pending. An email saying they changed should be an immediate red flag.

An address that is almost right. The speaker pointed to look-alike letters, such as a zero for an O or two Vs for a W. She also flagged names that do not match the address, and free email domains. Her fix: hit forward instead of reply, and type the address in yourself.

A phone number inside the email. The speaker said scammers expect you to call, so they put their own number in the message. Use a number from the company’s own website or one you saved earlier.

On the day you send the wire

Ask the person running your closing how to pay. The checklist lists a cashier’s check or a wire transfer for the amount due. It also says, by law, you must get your Closing Disclosure three business days before closing, so you know the amount ahead of time.

At the bank, the webinar speaker said to ask the bank to confirm the name on the receiving account, not just the number. Right after the wire goes out, call the title company at your saved number and confirm it arrived.

If the money goes to the wrong place

Call your bank first. The CFPB says to contact your bank or wire transfer company right away and ask for a wire recall. It says reporting quickly can raise your chance of getting the money back.

Report it to the FBI. The CFPB says to file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The IC3 site calls itself the central hub for reporting cyber-enabled crime, run by the FBI.

Move fast. The webinar speaker said catching a wrong wire within 24 hours gives you the strongest chance to recover the money, and that after that it gets very close to impossible. She also said to call the regional FBI office and local police.

Then call us. We will help you reach the title company and the lender on numbers you already trust.

How our shop handles the money steps

1. Two contacts at the first meeting. We save our office line, (219) 801-0432, in your phone with you, plus the settlement agent’s main number once the title company is named.

2. Wire instructions never change by email. If an email that looks like ours ever sends you account numbers, treat it as fake and call us.

3. The earnest money call. Before your deposit goes out, we confirm how and where it goes. Read our earnest money guide.

4. The closing week call. We go over how you will pay and when, so a sudden change stands out. See From offer to closing and How long closing takes in Indiana.

5. The receipt call. After any wire, we ask you to call the title company and confirm it landed, then tell us.

Buying a home by town

Scammers do not care which town you buy in. Buyers come to us for Crown Point, St. John, Schererville, Dyer, Munster, Highland, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Merrillville, Hobart, Gary, and Valparaiso. The lead photo is the Gary National Bank Building on Broadway in downtown Gary.

For what living there is like, Real Estate USA keeps guides to homes in Crown Point, St. John, Schererville, Dyer, Munster, Highland, Cedar Lake, Lowell, Merrillville, Hobart, Gary, and Valparaiso. It also has What is earnest money, After you accept an offer, How long it takes to close, What is a title commitment, Your first 30 days after closing, and Moving to Crown Point, Indiana.

The tradeoffs to weigh

Speed or a phone call. A call to a saved number takes a few minutes. A wire sent to the wrong account can take your savings. We would rather close an hour late.

Wire or cashier’s check. The CFPB checklist lists both. Ask the person running your closing which one they take and by when.

Email for paperwork, phone for money. Email is fine for scheduling. The CFPB says it is never a secure way to send financial information. Budget questions belong on our buyer closing costs page and in a call with your loan officer. See our pre-approval guide.

What we will ask you back

Expect questions about who your lender is, which title company the contract names, how you plan to pay at closing, and whose numbers you have saved. Closing near year-end? Read Buying a home before year-end. Buying for the first time? Grab our First-Time Home Buyer Packet. Ready to talk? Use our contact page or call (219) 801-0432.

Questions about wire fraud at closing in Crown Point

How do I avoid wire fraud when I buy a house in Indiana?

Before closing, pick two trusted people, such as your Realtor and your settlement agent, and save their phone numbers. The CFPB says to confirm wire instructions with them in person or by a phone number you agreed on, and never to follow instructions in an email. Call us at (219) 801-0432. We are licensed in Indiana and Illinois.

Will the title company change its wire instructions by email?

Treat any email that changes wire instructions as a red flag. The CFPB checklist warns that last-minute changes to payment or wire instructions may be a scam. Call your settlement agent at a number you already saved, never one in the email.

What should I check before I send a wire for closing?

Confirm the instructions by phone with a trusted contact, including the account name and number. In a CFPB webinar on wire fraud, the speaker said to ask your bank to confirm the name on the account, then call the title company after the wire to confirm it arrived.

What do I do if I wired my closing money to a scammer?

Call your bank or wire company right away and ask for a wire recall. The CFPB says reporting fast can raise your chance of getting the money back. Then file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center on its website.

Can I pay my closing costs with a cashier’s check instead of a wire?

Ask the person running your closing. The CFPB closing checklist lists a cashier’s check or a wire transfer as ways to pay the amount due, and tells you to ask how to pay before closing day.

How do I start buying a home with Realest?

Call (219) 801-0432 or email saso@realest.com. Visit us at 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307. Save our office number in your phone at the first meeting so you always have a number you trust. Love Thy Neighbor.

Talk to the shop

Realest, 112 S. Main St., Suite B, Crown Point, IN 46307

Call (219) 801-0432 or email saso@realest.com.

Love Thy Neighbor

Photo of the Gary National Bank Building by Takingactioningary on Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped.

Keep reading with Buy, our buying guides, Earnest money shop, Offer to closing, Homeowners insurance shop, and the Crown Point hub. For homes for sale and sold homes in Indiana and Illinois, try Search homes for sale.

Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Mortgage Closing Scams: How to protect yourself and your closing funds (June 3, 2019, page modified June 25, 2026)
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Your mortgage closing checklist (PDF): trusted contacts, wire warning, how to pay, Closing Disclosure timing
• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau webinar transcript, Avoiding wire fraud in the mortgage closing process (May 16, 2019)
• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), file a complaint

This page is shop process, not legal or financial advice. Your bank, your title company, and law enforcement have the final word on a wire.