Own Luxury Homes®
Wire Verification Protocol Before Every Closing
Save title company phone from WEBSITE before receiving any instructions. When instructions arrive: call verified number; ask them to read instructions first; compare every field: bank, ABA routing, account number, exact dollar amount — any discrepancy = stop the wire. 24–72hr recovery window: funds leaving US banking = near-zero recovery. After wiring: 2-hour receipt check; next-day failure = call bank immediately for recall. Own Luxury Homes® 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™ — buyers rehearse protocol before closing.
The Wire Verification Protocol: Every Step a Buyer Must Complete Before Sending Closing Funds
This guide is the step-by-step protocol. Not the overview — that's the hub. This is the exact sequence of actions you take before wiring any money in a real estate closing. Follow each step in order. Do not skip any step based on familiarity with the title company, your agent, or the email address you received instructions from. The most sophisticated wire fraud attacks are indistinguishable from legitimate communications without this protocol.
Before You Receive Wire Instructions: Week 1 of Contract
Action 1: Establish a Verified Contact at the Title Company
At contract signing or within the first 3 days: visit the title company's official website. Find their main phone number and the specific escrow officer assigned to your file. Save both numbers in your phone with a label that makes them unmistakable: "TITLE COMPANY VERIFIED" and the company name. Do not use the phone number in any email from any party, including your agent. The website is the only source that cannot be easily spoofed by someone who has compromised an email account. While on the website: confirm the company's address and verify it matches what's in your contract. If the company's website is unavailable or appears generic, ask your agent to verify the title company's legitimacy independently.
Action 2: Establish Your Wire Alert System With Your Bank
Call your bank before closing week. Tell them you will be wiring a large amount for a real estate closing and ask what fraud protection options they offer: wire holds for verification, callback requirements for wires above a threshold, two-factor authorization for large wire initiations. Many banks will add a callback requirement for wires over $25,000 if you request it. This creates a second verification layer between the wire initiation and the funds leaving your account.
When You Receive Wire Instructions: The Verification Call
| Step | Exact Action | What You're Checking | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Do not open your banking app yet | Set the wire instructions email aside; do not click any links | Links in wire instruction emails may be phishing attempts or malware delivery | |||||||
| 2. Find your saved verified number | Open your contacts; find "TITLE COMPANY VERIFIED"; do not use any other number | The number in the email may be the fraudster's number; only your pre-verified number is safe | |||||||
| 3. Call and state your purpose clearly | "I received wire instructions for my closing and I am calling to verify the account information before wiring" | Legitimate title companies expect and welcome these calls; any resistance or impatience is itself a red flag | |||||||
| 4. Ask them to read the instructions to you | "Can you please read me the wire instructions for my file?" — do not read yours to them first; let them give you the authentic information | If you read first, a fraudster who has somehow reached you could simply confirm what you said | |||||||
| 5. Compare line by line | Match: receiving bank name, ABA routing number (9 digits), account number (every digit), account name/beneficiary | Any discrepancy in any field — even one digit — means stop and do not wire | |||||||
| 6. Confirm the exact dollar amount | "The amount I received for cash to close is $[amount]. Can you confirm that matches your records?" | Fraudsters often send close but not exact amounts; even $1 discrepancy should stop the wire | |||||||
| 7. Write down the name of the person you spoke with and the time | Document: name, title, call time, date | Creates a record if fraud is later discovered; confirms you completed due diligence | |||||||
| If you cannot reach the title company by phone after multiple attempts: do not wire. Contact your agent and attorney. A legitimate title company does not become unreachable at closing. Unreachability at the moment of wire initiation is a red flag that warrants investigation before any funds leave your account. | |||||||||
At Your Bank: The Wire Initiation
What to Do When You're at Your Bank or Banking App
After completing the verification call: (1) Initiate the wire using the information from the verification call — not from the email. If there is any discrepancy between the email and what the title company told you, use only what the title company confirmed verbally. (2) Double-check every digit of the routing and account numbers before confirming. Wire transfers are not like ACH transfers — they are typically same-day final. Mistakes and fraud are very difficult to reverse once the wire settles. (3) After initiating, call the title company again and confirm they received a wire notification. Most title companies will receive a confirmation within 15–30 minutes of a wire being sent. If they haven't received it within 2 hours of your sending, call your bank immediately.
After the Wire: The Two-Hour Check
Closing the Loop
Within two hours of wiring: call the title company using your verified number and ask them to confirm receipt of funds. They may say they're still waiting for settlement — that is normal for same-day wires, which settle by end of business. But if the next business day arrives and they have not confirmed receipt, call your bank immediately. Tell your bank: "I sent a wire yesterday and the recipient has not confirmed receipt. I am concerned this may be fraud. I need you to contact the receiving bank to confirm the funds are in the legitimate account." Your bank can initiate a recall within the first 24–72 hours with a materially higher success rate than after that window.
“The protocol I make every buyer rehearse before closing week: "Show me the number you're going to call to verify wire instructions." If they pull up an email: we stop and find the title company's website together. "Now call them. Right now. Tell them your closing is next week and you want to pre-verify the wire instructions process." Every legitimate title company will walk you through it. Some are delighted someone called. Then we rehearse what they'll say when instructions arrive: "I received wire instructions and I'm calling to verify before I send any money." We do this every time. It takes eight minutes. It has never failed to work. The fraudsters count on buyers assuming verification is someone else's responsibility. It is yours. Own it.”
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes®
How do I verify wire instructions for a real estate closing?
Three steps: (1) Before receiving instructions, save the title company's phone number from their official website (not from any email). (2) When you receive wire instructions, call that number immediately. Ask them to read you the wire instructions — do not read yours to them first. (3) Compare every field line by line: bank name, ABA routing, account number, exact dollar amount. Any discrepancy means stop the wire and contact your agent and bank immediately.
What if I already sent a fraudulent wire?
Act immediately: (1) Call your bank and tell them the wire may be fraudulent; request a recall. (2) File a complaint at ic3.gov (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center). (3) Call the title company using your verified number to confirm they did not receive your funds. The FBI Recovery Asset Team has a 58% success rate but only when funds are still in the US banking system. The window is typically 24–72 hours before funds move internationally and become unrecoverable.
Own Luxury Homes® — wire verification protocol provided to every buyer at contract signing. 12-Point Agent Integrity Audit™. Request a verified buyer specialist ›
"The introduction Own Luxury Homes® makes is to a specialist with documented closing history in your specific market — not the county, not the metro, the submarket you're actually selling or buying in. That's the standard we verify before your name goes anywhere."
— Ryan Brown, Principal Broker & CEO, Own Luxury Homes® (FL License BK3626873)