Email Requesting an Urgent Wire Transfer — Business Email Compromise Scam
You received an email from what appears to be a known contact — a real estate agent, attorney, or business partner — requesting an urgent wire transfer or a change in payment details. These emails are sent by criminals who have compromised or spoofed a trusted person's email address.
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How This Scam Works
Critical Risk — Wire Fraud / Business Email Compromise
Once a wire transfer is sent, it is extremely difficult to recover. If you receive an email requesting an urgent wire transfer or changed payment details, verify by phone before sending anything.
You receive an email from what appears to be a known contact — a real estate agent, attorney, business partner, vendor, or company executive — requesting an urgent wire transfer or notifying you of changed payment instructions. The email may reference a real transaction you're involved in, making it feel legitimate.
In reality, scammers have either compromised the sender's actual email account or created a nearly identical email address. They monitor email conversations and insert themselves at the exact moment a payment is due. The wire transfer goes to the criminal's account instead of the legitimate recipient.
The FBI's IC3 reports that Business Email Compromise (BEC) caused over $2.9 billion in losses in 2023, making it one of the most financially damaging crime types. Real estate transactions are a frequent target — the FBI warns that home buyers have lost their entire down payments to BEC wire fraud.
Red Flags
- Unexpected email requesting a wire transfer or change in payment details
- Urgency — must be done today, before close of business, or the deal falls through
- Email address is slightly different from the known contact (one letter changed)
- Instructions to wire to a new bank account you haven't used before
- Request to keep the transaction confidential or avoid calling to verify
The critical protection is simple: always verify wire transfer requests by phone using a number you already have on file — never the number provided in the email.
What You Should Do
What To Do
- Do not send any wire transfer until you verify by phone
- Call the person or company using a phone number you already have (not from the email)
- If you already sent a wire, contact your bank immediately to attempt a recall
- Report the incident to the FBI's IC3 at ic3.gov
- Preserve the email as evidence — do not delete it
How to Verify Legitimately
Call the person who supposedly sent the request using a phone number from a previous, verified communication — not the phone number in the suspicious email. For real estate transactions, call your real estate agent and title company directly. For business payments, call your vendor's accounts receivable department at their known number.
Sources
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) 2023 Annual Report — BEC losses ($2.9 billion)
- FBI IC3 Public Service Announcement: Business Email Compromise — Real Estate Wire Fraud