What You Can Do Now

Wire fraud doesn’t wait for you to “get around to” cybersecurity. Every day a transaction sits unprotected is a day a scammer could be watching an inbox, waiting for the right moment to send a spoofed wiring instruction. The good news: you don’t need a six-month IT overhaul to close the gap. Here’s what you can start doing today.

1. Verify Wire Instructions by Phone — Every Single Time

Never wire funds based on an email alone, even if it looks like it came from your title company, lender, or client. Call the recipient directly using a phone number you already have on file — not one listed in the email — and confirm the account details verbally before every transfer.

2. Turn On Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Everywhere

If MFA isn’t already required on your email, your transaction management platform, and your CRM, turn it on this week. This single step blocks the majority of account takeover attempts, even if a password has already been stolen.

3. Train Your Team to Spot a Spoofed Email

Look-alike domains (like “closingtitle.co” instead of “closingtitle.com”), urgent last-minute changes to payment details, and pressure to “act now” are the classic signs of Business Email Compromise. A five-minute team huddle on these red flags can prevent a six-figure loss.

4. Lock Down Every Device That Touches Client Data

Laptops, phones, and tablets used for email or document access should have up-to-date endpoint protection — not just antivirus software from a decade ago, but active threat detection that can catch and stop an attack in progress, not just after the fact.

5. Know Who’s Watching When You’re Not

Cybercriminals don’t work 9-to-5, and small brokerages rarely have a security team on call at 11 p.m. on a Friday. Round-the-clock monitoring means someone — or something — is watching for suspicious activity even when your office is closed.

6. Put Your Compliance Story in Writing

Buyers, lenders, and underwriters are increasingly asking real estate professionals what safeguards they have in place. Having a documented cybersecurity posture isn’t just protection — it’s a competitive edge and a liability shield.

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