Most people who lose money to wire fraud aren't careless. They're moving quickly, under a real deadline, trusting a process they've never been through before. These five questions take less than a minute and catch the overwhelming majority of fraud attempts before a wire goes out.
1. Has anyone confirmed these instructions by phone, using a number I already had?
An email confirming instructions isn't confirmation, it's the same channel the instructions came through. Call a number from your original paperwork or the company's official site, not one provided in the message itself.
2. Did the account details change from what was confirmed earlier?
Any change to a previously confirmed account number, routing number, or bank name is a reason to stop, not a routine update. Legitimate account changes are rare and worth extra scrutiny every time.
3. Am I being rushed to send this today?
Urgency is a tool, not a coincidence. Real closings have deadlines, but a legitimate party will never object to a short delay for verification. If the message pressures you to skip that step, treat the pressure itself as a warning sign.
4. Would my title company or attorney ever ask for this over email alone?
Most professional firms have a policy against changing wire instructions by email without a verbal confirmation. If you're unsure whether that's true for your transaction, ask, before you need the answer.
5. Have I verified this independently of the email thread?
If every check so far has happened inside the same conversation the instructions came from, none of it counts as independent verification. Step outside that channel entirely before sending anything.
None of these questions take long. Losing a wire transfer usually does.
- What's the single most important question on this list?
- Whether the instructions have been confirmed by phone, using a number you already had rather than one provided in the message. That one step defeats the majority of wire fraud attempts on its own.
- Does this apply to smaller amounts too?
- Yes. Fraud attempts scale to whatever amount is available, and the same five questions apply regardless of size.