MEDIA ADVISORY: National Homeownership Month Brings Awareness to High-Tech Wire Scam

ATLANTA - May 20, 2015 - PRLog -- MEDIA ADVISORY

National Homeownership Month Brings Awareness to High-Tech Wire Scam

WHAT:  Fraudulent emails have been reported by several closing attorneys as buyers and sellers lose thousands due to false wiring instruction emails.  This is particularly frightening as we hit the height of the real estate sales season and people begin wiring thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars in settlement funds.

WHO:    Real Estate Professionals, Financial Services Industry and homebuyers and sellers

WHEN:  May 18, 2015

WHERE: Georgia, Texas & Colorado

WHY:      Closing attorneys across Atlanta have seen the effects of people hacking email accounts of various parties in a real estate transaction and forwarding false wire instructions that result in the target sending a wire to a fraudulent party. These emails are under the guise of “modified wire instructions” and claim that your broker/lender/attorney wants you to use these new instructions and wire funds to that account versus what was previously provided. These incidents have been reported in Georgia, Texas and Colorado.

The scammers are sending an identical email literally minutes after the original one.  The language and format used is not choppy like the 'usual' scammer emails and they appear to be from an identical email address.

It’s important to note, that the closing attorney and the lender will NEVER send 'modified wire instructions.'  If you should receive an email, delete it and immediately call the closing attorney or real estate agent, not any phone number listed in the modified wire instructions email.

Over the past few months, real estate buyers and sellers in Georgia have lost over $500,000 - WITH NO RECOURSE.

HOW:  For interviews or additional information please contact Christian Ross, SVP/Managing Broker | Village Realty | Office: 678-796-8066 | Mobile: 404-309-1098. PR Contact: T.MORRISON AGENCY, Tamika Morrison -  mobile: 404-593-0607.