How a homebuyer almost lost $100,000 to a real estate scam and how to protect yourself

A Green Country woman almost lost $100,000 when criminals intercepted her emails while she was closing on her new home. The overseas criminals emailed the woman, pretending to be the title company, and gave her instructions for wiring her down payment. But something felt off, so she immediately called her title agent.

News On 6 spoke with Curt Hendrix with Allegiance Title and Escrow about how the scam unfolded and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

Q: What happened in this case?

Curt Hendrix: “I called the bank that she wired the money to and put a freeze on that account so the bad guy could not take her money. Thankfully, it worked, and she got her funds back.”

Hendrix noted that this outcome is rare, and many victims never recover their funds.

Q: How do scammers typically operate in these situations?

Curt Hendrix: “And what they'll typically do is go to the path of least resistance, meaning the individual that has the least secure email. Once they get into that chain, they have the entire chain.”

Scammers often hack into email chains involving buyers, realtors, or lenders and create spoofed addresses that appear legitimate. They then send urgent wire instructions, hoping the victim acts quickly.

Q: What are the key warning signs for consumers?

Curt Hendrix: “As a consumer, it’s so important to be diligent when you get an email asking for money. Look at that email. Make sure it matches all the other email addresses that you’ve seen.”

Hendrix also recommends verifying wire instructions over the phone using a number from the company’s official website—not one included in an email—and checking that the signature line matches the sender.

Q: How can consumers prevent falling victim to these scams?

Curt Hendrix: “My emphasis would be, as a consumer, before you wire money, be so diligent. Lots of bad guys out there. They’re getting better. Look for any of those signs we talked about. And before you wire money, verify everything.”

Other key steps Hendrix advises:

1. Always call and verify before wiring money.
2. Use phone numbers from official company websites.
3. Scrutinize email addresses and signature lines.
4. Be skeptical of urgent deadlines—they often create fake pressure.

Q: What makes recovering money in these cases difficult?

Curt Hendrix: “Unfortunately, the larger banks in this country, it is extremely easy to open up a bank account. You don't need a lot of identification. And they'll allow you to open an account. They are very hard to catch. … It can be very difficult to convince a bank that their client is a bad actor and that they should freeze their client’s funds because their relationship obviously is with their clients.”

Q: Any final advice for consumers?

Curt Hendrix: “The best advice is to prevent it upfront before anything. Yeah, it can be so difficult to get that money back, and especially if you don't discover it quickly.”

More advice from crime expert Lori Fullbright:

Be skeptical of any email, text, or Facebook message that wants you to click on a link, scan a QR code, or call a number. Also, set up two-factor authentication on all your accounts.