Real Estate | Bristow & Northern Virginia
Updated July 2026
There probably hasn't been a house hunter in history who didn't want to get a great deal on a house. But in the current market, even finding a house you want and successfully getting it under contract can be a difficult task.
So if you were to find what seems to be an incredible deal, or an under-the-radar listing that nobody else is aware of, it's understandable why you might want to throw caution to the wind and scoop it up, even if there are some red flags.
But, as the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Two Different Scams, Both on the Rise
Real estate fraud generally falls into two major categories, and it's worth understanding both, because the warning signs and prevention steps are different.
Seller impersonation fraud — covered in detail below — is when someone pretends to own a property they have no right to sell.
Wire fraud is arguably the bigger threat by dollar amount, and it can hit both buyers and sellers. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, Business Email Compromise — the scam technique behind most real estate wire fraud — accounted for $2.77 billion in reported losses in a single year, making it one of the three most financially damaging categories of cybercrime in the country. A CertifID survey of 1,500 home buyers and sellers found that a quarter of respondents were targeted by suspicious or fraudulent communication during their closing process, and nearly 1 in 20 reported actually having money stolen.
How Wire Fraud Actually Happens
Wire fraud typically follows a predictable pattern:
- Reconnaissance. Criminals identify upcoming real estate transactions through public records, hacked email accounts, or data breaches — learning who's involved, the closing date, and roughly how much money is changing hands.
- Email compromise. Scammers gain access to an email account — sometimes an agent's, a title company employee's, or even the buyer's or seller's own — through phishing or a weak password, then quietly monitor the conversation to learn the transaction's details and timing.
- The fraudulent message. At a strategic moment, often just a few days before closing, the scammer sends an email that appears to come from the title company, the lender, or the agent — with new wire instructions, or a "change" to the account the money should go to. These emails are often nearly identical to the real ones, sometimes off by a single letter in the email address or a small logo difference.
- The money moves fast. Once wired, funds are typically moved quickly through multiple accounts — sometimes with the help of "money mules" — and often end up overseas, making recovery extremely difficult once the wire has gone through.
This affects sellers too, not just buyers. Scammers don't only target a buyer's down payment — they also target sellers by attempting to redirect where sale proceeds get wired at closing, using the same email-compromise tactics.
10 Signs You May Be Dealing With a Fake Owner
Seller impersonation fraud is on the rise too — fraudsters pretending to own a property they have no legal right to sell, hoping to walk away with a down payment or the full purchase price before anyone realizes something's wrong. What's genuinely new in 2026: some fraudsters are using AI-generated fake IDs and even deepfake video that can pass casual visual inspection during closing.
To protect yourself from this specific scam, here are the red flags that should trigger extra caution:
- The property is vacant.
- There are no liens or mortgages on record, and the property is owned outright by the actual owner.
- It's priced below the market value of any other house like it in the area.
- You're not allowed to enter the home to see it in person.
- The seller says they prefer cash offers, and pushes for one rather than simply accepting it if offered.
- The seller says they want a quick closing and will give you a better price if you can close quickly.
- They're quick to accept an offer with little or no negotiation.
- All communication with them is through text and/or email.
- They want to sign all documents remotely, using a notary who is also remote and doesn't insist on the seller being in-person.
- When pushed to do things in person, the alleged owner claims they'll be out of the area for an extended period of time.
- While those red flags could occur when dealing with a legitimate owner, it's still better to be safe than sorry — especially now that the fraud tools involved are getting more convincing.
4 Things You Can Do to Protect Yourself From Fake Sellers
Working with a reputable buyer's agent you know and trust will go a long way in protecting you from getting scammed by a fake seller. If any of the above warning signs are present, or you just get a sense something isn't quite right, here's what you and your agent can do:
- Communicate any concerns directly. A true owner will understand your desire to be careful when buying something worth as much as a house — and will appreciate that you're looking out for them too, since a fraudulently sold home hurts the real owner just as much. If they get angry or resist, that's a real signal something's wrong.
- Ask questions only the real owner could answer. Trick questions or details that would be impossible to know if they never actually lived there can expose a fraud quickly.
- Always get a title search done and buy title insurance. Hire your own title company or attorney — don't let the seller push you toward one they insist on using.
- Require in-person or verified identity confirmation. Scammers have been known to obtain a real owner's Social Security and driver's license information, so proof of identity should be verified in person, or through a trusted third-party identification verification service if the seller genuinely can't travel back to the area.
How to Protect Yourself From Wire Fraud
The National Association of REALTORS® and title industry experts consistently recommend the same core protections:
- Talk about this on day one, not just right before closing. The best defense is knowing what to expect before you're ever asked to wire money — so you immediately recognize when something deviates from that plan.
- Never trust wiring instructions from email alone, even if it looks like it came from your title company, lender, or agent.
- Always verify by phone before sending any money — but call a number you find independently (like from a Google search or a business card you already have), never a phone number provided in the email itself, since that could belong to the scammer too.
- Be suspicious of any last-minute change to payment type or account details. Title companies and lenders have established processes that shouldn't suddenly change close to closing.
- Call again after wiring, not just before, to confirm the funds were received as expected.
A quick phone call — before and after — is genuinely the single most effective habit for stopping this kind of fraud before it becomes irreversible.
What We Do From Day One
We make wire fraud part of the conversation from the very beginning of working with you — not something we mention once and hope you remember months later. Every buyer and seller we work with hears about this risk from day one, and we reinforce it all the way through to closing, because that's exactly when scammers are counting on you to let your guard down. It's too important a risk to only mention once.
The Takeaway
Scammers take advantage of low inventory, high buyer demand, and the sheer number of steps and people involved in a real estate transaction. Whether it's someone pretending to own a home they have no right to sell, or a fraudulent email trying to redirect a wire transfer right before closing, the tools being used — AI-generated IDs, deepfakes, compromised email accounts — are only getting more sophisticated every year.
The good news: both types of fraud are preventable with the same basic habits — slow down, verify independently, and never take a last-minute change at face value. Make sure you work with a buyer's or listing agent you trust, along with the title professionals and vendors they trust, and talk about these risks from the very first conversation, not just right before closing.
Have questions about how to protect yourself through your own transaction, from start to finish? Get started →
Related reading: Why Can't Your Agent Tell You If an Area Is Safe?