Mortgage Closing Scam

Mortgage Closing Scam
Who’s the target?

Adults who are in the process of purchasing a home.

What’s the scammer's goal?

To take advantage of the mortgage closing process in order to steal from you.

How do they do it?

When you’re getting ready to close on a new home, there are a lot of moving parts to manage. As you work through this process, you may be receiving emails and phone calls from a handful of different agencies. Scammers take advantage of this barrage by intercepting or impersonating communications that have to do with your mortgage in an effort to steal from you.  These fraudsters use a tactic called phishing to hijack or spoof the email account of a real estate agent, financial representative, or legal counsel. The scammers will craft emails that look identical to the legitimate ones, telling you that the instructions for wiring your closing costs have changed at the last minute, and new instructions directing you to the hacker’s account. If you’re not paying close attention to the warning signs of this scam, you may end up wiring funds to the scammer instead of the legitimate recipient.

Red flags:
  • They email you with new last-minute payment instructions
  • The email has typos, or the formatting is not the same as previous emails with this person
  • They emphasize the urgency of the situation, stressing that you need to act now
How can we stay safe?
  • Take your time and read with a discerning eye when answering emails
  • Don’t open emailed attachments from anyone, including a lender or real estate company unless you were specifically expecting it
  • If an email seems suspicious, pick up the phone and call the sender at their verified phone number before acting
If you think you have been scammed:
  • Contact all your financial institutions as soon as possible
  • Contact FTC.gov
  • Contact the Social Security Fraud Hotline (if applicable)
  • Contact the DMV (if applicable)

BHCCU Resources

Blackhawk Community Credit Union will never contact you and ask you for your username, password, secure access code, IP address, or full account number. If you receive such a message via call, text, or email, please do not respond. You can always call us directly to confirm: 800.779.5555.

Angie Hoium
BHCCU Fraud & BSA Officer
 
to learn about upcoming events
hosted by Angie. These seminars
feature an honest conversation
about fraud and ways to keep
yourself safe.
 

Visit our Personal Data Protection page to learn more ways to stay protected!