Recent reporting from the National Association of REALTORS® highlights a sharp rise in real estate-related fraud, with the FBI reporting more than $275 million in losses tied to online real estate scams in 2025 alone. The total victims exceeded 12,000 and represented all age groups. Common schemes include wire fraud, deed theft, fake seller impersonations, and AI-generated phishing scams designed to look increasingly legitimate. Buyers, sellers, and even real estate professionals are being targeted through spoofed emails and fraudulent wiring instructions during transactions.
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Online Real Estate Fraud Climbed to $275M in 2025, FBI Says
As technology evolves, awareness and communication remain some of the strongest protections against fraud. If you plan to wire funds during a real estate transaction, disregard any email, text, or phone call that instructs you of a change of destination account. And it is always permissible to call your escrow company on their public telephone number to confirm wiring instructions.