Key statistics
- Americans reported losing $275,110,419 to real estate fraud in 2025, up from $173,586,820 in 2024. (FBI IC3)
- 12,368 people filed real estate fraud complaints with the FBI in 2025, up 32% from 9,359 in 2024. (FBI IC3)
- Real estate fraud losses peaked at $396.9 million in 2022. (FBI IC3)
- From 2017 to 2025, the FBI recorded 100,813 real estate fraud complaints and $1.98 billion in losses. (FBI IC3, Paperless Pipeline calculation)
- Business email compromise, the email scheme used in closing wire fraud, cost victims $3.05 billion in 2025 across 24,768 complaints. (FBI IC3)
- People aged 60 and over lost $123.7 million to real estate fraud in 2025, about 45% of all real estate losses. (FBI IC3, Paperless Pipeline calculation)
- Banks filed 2,260 reports covering roughly $893 million in real estate BEC incidents in 2020 and 2021. (FinCEN)
- 37% of real estate BEC incidents in 2020-2021 involved impersonation of title and closing companies. (FinCEN)
- The FBI's Recovery Asset Team froze $679 million of $1.16 billion in attempted fraudulent transfers in 2025, a 58% success rate. (FBI IC3)
- 59% of title firms reported at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in the prior year, up from 28% in 2024. (ALTA, 2026)
- FBI data shows $55.5 billion in exposed BEC losses worldwide from October 2013 to December 2023. (FBI IC3)
How much money is lost to real estate fraud?
Americans reported $275.1 million in real estate fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, from 12,368 complaints. That is up 58% from $173.6 million in 2024 and the third-highest annual total since at least 2017.
Americans reported losing $275,110,419 to real estate fraud in 2025, up 58% from 2024. (FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center)
The figures come from the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) annual Internet Crime Report, published in April 2026. Complaints rose 32%, from 9,359 in 2024 to 12,368 in 2025. The average loss per complaint was about $22,244 (our calculation from IC3 totals).
Real estate is one category in a much larger picture. The IC3 received 1,008,597 complaints in 2025 with total reported losses of $20.877 billion, a 26% increase in losses from 2024.
NAR covered the FBI release under the headline "Online Real Estate Fraud Climbed to $275M in 2025, FBI Says." The American Land Title Association (ALTA) said the rising losses reinforce the need for strong consumer safeguards, and ALTA chief executive Chris Morton tied fraud directly to housing affordability.
Wire fraud also turns up in other categories. NAR's April 2026 report cites the U.S. Secret Service saying a single "pig butchering" crypto investment scam caused $15 million in total losses for 60 real estate agents.
Real estate fraud losses by year, 2017 to 2025
Real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI rose from $56.2 million in 2017 to a peak of $396.9 million in 2022, fell to $145.2 million in 2023, and have climbed for two straight years since.
Over nine years, 2017 to 2025, the FBI recorded 100,813 real estate fraud complaints and $1.98 billion in reported losses.
| Year | Complaints | Reported losses | Change in losses vs prior year | Average loss per complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 9,645 | $56,231,333 | n/a | $5,830 |
| 2018 | 11,300 | $149,458,114 | +165.8% | $13,226 |
| 2019 | 11,677 | $221,365,911 | +48.1% | $18,957 |
| 2020 | 13,638 | $213,196,082 | -3.7% | $15,633 |
| 2021 | 11,578 | $350,328,166 | +64.3% | $30,258 |
| 2022 | 11,727 | $396,932,821 | +13.3% | $33,848 |
| 2023 | 9,521 | $145,243,348 | -63.4% | $15,255 |
| 2024 | 9,359 | $173,586,820 | +19.5% | $18,548 |
| 2025 | 12,368 | $275,110,419 | +58.5% | $22,244 |
| 2017-2025 total | 100,813 | $1,981,453,014 |
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, Internet Crime Reports 2017 to 2025 (Sources 1-9). Complaint and loss figures as printed in the reports; each year confirmed in at least one report, most in two or three. Change and average columns are Paperless Pipeline calculations. 2017 to 2021 reports name the category "Real Estate/Rental."
Real estate fraud reported to the FBI, 2017 to 2025
Chart data
| Category | US$ millions lost | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 56.2 | 9,645 |
| 2018 | 149.5 | 11,300 |
| 2019 | 221.4 | 11,677 |
| 2020 | 213.2 | 13,638 |
| 2021 | 350.3 | 11,578 |
| 2022 | 396.9 | 11,727 |
| 2023 | 145.2 | 9,521 |
| 2024 | 173.6 | 9,359 |
| 2025 | 275.1 | 12,368 |
Two patterns stand out. First, losses grew much faster than complaints. The average reported loss per complaint went from about $5,830 in 2017 to about $33,848 in 2022, which is consistent with larger transactions (down payments and full closing payments) being targeted. Second, the 2023 drop was sharp. Losses fell 63% in one year while complaints fell 19%. The IC3 reports do not explain the decline for this category, so treat any single-year swing with care.
What the FBI's "real estate" category does and does not count
The FBI's "Real Estate" crime type covers real estate investment fraud and rental or timeshare fraud. Closing wire fraud, where a buyer is tricked into wiring funds to a criminal posing as a title company or agent, is generally reported under business email compromise.
This is the most common mistake in articles that cite "real estate wire fraud statistics." The IC3's 2025 report defines Real Estate as "Loss of funds from a real estate investment or fraud involving rental or timeshare property." The 2019 report defined the earlier "Real Estate/Rental" category as "fraud involving real estate, rental or timeshare property."
The FBI has described closing wire fraud as part of BEC since at least 2019, when its report said the scheme had evolved to include "spoofed lawyer email accounts" and "the targeting of the real estate sector." In 2024, the IC3 said most Financial Fraud Kill Chain incidents it worked on were BEC.
How to cite the numbers correctly:
- "Real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI" means the Real Estate category: $275.1 million in 2025.
- "Business email compromise losses" means all BEC across every industry: $3.05 billion in 2025. Real estate is one target sector inside that figure.
- For a real-estate-only share of BEC, the best official data is FinCEN's analysis of bank reports (see below).
| Source | Category name | What it covers | Latest figure |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBI IC3 | Real Estate | Real estate investment fraud; rental or timeshare fraud | $275.1M, 12,368 complaints (2025) |
| FBI IC3 | Business Email Compromise (BEC) | Email-based payment diversion across all sectors, including closings | $3.05B, 24,768 complaints (2025) |
| FinCEN | Real estate BEC (RE-BEC) | Bank Secrecy Act reports describing BEC in real estate transactions | About $893M reported, 2,260 filings (2020-2021) |
| ALTA | Seller impersonation fraud | Fraudsters posing as property owners to sell or borrow against land they do not own | 59% of title firms saw an attempt (2025) |
Source: FBI IC3 2019 and 2025 Internet Crime Reports; FinCEN Financial Trend Analysis, March 2023; ALTA Seller Impersonation Fraud Study, 2026.
Business email compromise statistics
Business email compromise cost victims $3.05 billion in 2025, across 24,768 complaints to the FBI. BEC losses have more than quadrupled since 2017.
Business email compromise cost U.S. victims $3,046,598,558 in 2025 across 24,768 complaints. (FBI IC3)
BEC works by impersonation. A criminal gets into, or spoofs, an email account belonging to someone the victim trusts, then sends new payment instructions. In a home purchase, that is usually a message that appears to come from the title company, closing attorney or agent with "updated" wiring instructions just before closing.
The FBI's 2025 report gives a real example: "individuals were closing on a home when they received an email impersonating their legitimate attorneys. A wire was submitted at their bank for over $449,000." Because the FBI acted quickly, "the full amount was still in the account and on hold." In a 2024 case handled by FBI Denver, buyers were told "to wire $956,342 to a U.S. domestic bank to finalize the closing." The transfer of $955,060 was stopped and returned.
| Year | Total IC3 complaints | Total reported losses | BEC complaints | BEC losses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 301,580 | More than $1.4 billion | 15,690 | $676,151,185 |
| 2018 | 351,937 | More than $2.7 billion | 20,373 | $1,297,803,489 |
| 2019 | 467,361 | More than $3.5 billion | 23,775 | $1,776,549,688 |
| 2020 | 791,790 | More than $4.1 billion | 19,369 | $1,866,642,107 |
| 2021 | 847,376 | More than $6.9 billion | 19,954 | $2,395,953,296 |
| 2022 | 800,944 | $10.3 billion | 21,832 | $2,742,354,049 |
| 2023 | 880,418 | More than $12.5 billion | 21,489 | $2,946,830,270 |
| 2024 | 859,532 | $16.6 billion | 21,442 | $2,770,151,146 |
| 2025 | 1,008,597 | $20.877 billion | 24,768 | $3,046,598,558 |
Source: FBI IC3 Internet Crime Reports 2017 to 2025. BEC losses for 2017 to 2021 are reported as "BEC/EAC" (business email compromise or email account compromise). The 2022 report's chart shows $10.3 billion in total losses; its text says "more than $10.2 billion."
Business email compromise losses reported to the FBI, 2017 to 2025
Chart data
| Category | Business email compromise losses reported to the FBI, 2017 to 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 0.68 |
| 2018 | 1.3 |
| 2019 | 1.78 |
| 2020 | 1.87 |
| 2021 | 2.4 |
| 2022 | 2.74 |
| 2023 | 2.95 |
| 2024 | 2.77 |
| 2025 | 3.05 |
Over a longer window, the FBI's September 2024 public service announcement put exposed BEC losses at $55,499,915,582 worldwide between October 2013 and December 2023, combining domestic and international incidents.
What FinCEN found in bank reports on real estate wire fraud
Banks filed 2,260 suspicious activity reports describing roughly $893 million in real estate BEC incidents in 2020 and 2021, according to FinCEN. More than a third of the incidents involved criminals posing as title or closing companies.
37% of real estate business email compromise incidents in 2020-2021 involved impersonation of title and closing entities. (FinCEN)
FinCEN, the Treasury bureau that collects Bank Secrecy Act reports, published its "Business Email Compromise in the Real Estate Sector" financial trend analysis in March 2023. It is the most detailed official breakdown of real estate wire fraud available. FinCEN's press release said "individual homebuyers suffer disproportionately."
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| BSA filings describing real estate BEC | 2,260 (1,261 in 2020; 999 in 2021) |
| Value reported in those filings | Roughly $893 million |
| Filings reporting actual incidents in the review period | 2,013, worth $710 million |
| All BEC filings in the same period, all sectors | 31,695, roughly $10.8 billion |
| Incidents impersonating title and closing entities | 37% (743 incidents) |
| Share of value from realtor impersonation | 23.12% ($189.8 million) |
| Share of value from title and closing entity impersonation | 21.06% ($172.9 million) |
| Incidents where the first transfer went to a domestic account | Nearly 88% (1,767 incidents) |
| Average and median monthly value of RE-BEC incidents, 2020 | $354,402 average; $108,712 median |
| Average and median monthly value of RE-BEC incidents, 2021 | $503,436 average; $131,917 median |
| Incidents with full recovery of funds | 22.21% (447 incidents) |
| Incidents with partial recovery | 14.51% |
| Incidents with no recovery | 20.37% |
Source: FinCEN, Financial Trend Analysis, "Business Email Compromise in the Real Estate Sector: Threat Pattern and Trend Information, January 2020 to December 2021", March 2023. Recovery shares do not sum to 100% because not every filing reported a recovery outcome.
By our calculation, real estate BEC accounted for about 8% of the BEC value reported to FinCEN over the two years ($893 million of $10.8 billion). FinCEN's earlier work found real estate was the third most targeted sector for BEC fraud in 2017 and 2018, "comprising 9% in 2017 and 16% in 2018."
Who criminals impersonated in real estate BEC, share of reported value, 2020-2021
Chart data
| Category | Share of reported value (%) |
|---|---|
| Realtor | 23.12 |
| Title and closing entities | 21.06 |
| All other or not specified | 55.82 |
Two findings matter for brokerages. Agents themselves are impersonated almost as often as title companies, measured by dollars. And nearly nine in ten incidents sent the first transfer to a U.S. account, which is why fast domestic recall requests work as often as they do.
Real estate fraud against older Americans
People aged 60 and over lost $123.7 million to real estate fraud in 2025, nearly half of all real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI.
Victims aged 60 and over filed about 20% of real estate fraud complaints in 2025 but accounted for about 45% of the losses. (FBI IC3, Paperless Pipeline calculation)
| Year | Complaints (60+) | Losses (60+) | Share of all real estate losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1,862 | $135,239,020 | 34.1% |
| 2023 | 1,498 | $65,634,851 | 45.2% |
| 2024 | 1,765 | $76,324,236 | 44.0% |
| 2025 | 2,473 | $123,671,936 | 45.0% |
Source: FBI IC3 2024 and 2025 Internet Crime Reports, Elder Fraud sections. Share column is a Paperless Pipeline calculation using Table 1 totals.
Real estate fraud losses, victims aged 60 and over, 2022 to 2025
Chart data
| Category | Real estate fraud losses, victims aged 60 and over, 2022 to 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 135.2 |
| 2023 | 65.6 |
| 2024 | 76.3 |
| 2025 | 123.7 |
Older sellers and buyers often have more equity and cash in a single transaction. That makes each successful fraud larger. In 2025, losses for this group rose 62% from 2024 (our calculation), faster than the 58% rise across all age groups. Distressed owners face a related risk from foreclosure rescue scams; see our foreclosure statistics for where distress is rising.
Seller impersonation fraud statistics
More than half of title companies now see attempts at seller impersonation fraud. In ALTA's 2026 study, 59% of firms reported at least one attempt in the prior calendar year, up from 28% in 2024.
59% of title firms reported at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in the prior calendar year, up from 28% in 2024. (ALTA, 2026)
Seller impersonation is the reverse of buyer wire fraud. A criminal poses as the owner of a property, often vacant land or a home with no mortgage, lists it for sale and tries to collect the proceeds at closing.
ALTA surveyed 245 title insurance professionals across 40 states for its spring 2026 Critical Issues Study. Findings:
- 59% of firms reported at least one seller impersonation attempt in the prior calendar year, up from 28% in 2024.
- The share reporting an attempt in the prior month rose from 19% to 45%.
- One in four firms reporting an attempt also reported a paid claim, and half of those reported costs above $100,000.
- 94% of firms used multiple tools to fight it, averaging 5.3 per firm.
Disclosure: ALTA's study page states the research was "made possible by" a fraud-prevention company that sells to title agents. The survey was conducted and published by ALTA.
Can stolen wire funds be recovered?
Often, if the bank and the FBI act within days. In 2025 the FBI's Recovery Asset Team froze $679 million of $1.16 billion in attempted fraudulent transfers, a 58% success rate.
The FBI's Recovery Asset Team froze $679,013,183 of $1,163,919,846 in attempted fraudulent transfers in 2025, a 58% success rate. (FBI IC3)
The IC3's Recovery Asset Team (RAT) works with banks through the Financial Fraud Kill Chain to freeze funds before they leave the U.S. or are withdrawn. FinCEN runs a parallel Rapid Response Program, and its analysis stresses reporting "within 72 hours of the transaction."
| Year | Incidents | Losses or attempted transfers | Frozen or recovered | Success rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1,061 | $257,096,992 | $192,699,196 | 75% |
| 2019 | 1,307 | $384,237,651 | $304,930,696 | 79% |
| 2020 | 1,303 | $462,967,964 | $380,211,432 | 82% |
| 2021 | 1,726 | $433.48 million | $328.32 million | 74% |
| 2022 | 2,838 | More than $590 million | About $433 million | 73% |
| 2023 | 3,008 | $758.05 million | $538.39 million | 71% |
| 2024 | 3,020 | $848.4 million | $561.6 million ($469.1M domestic, $92.5M international) | 66% |
| 2025 | 3,900 | $1,163,919,846 | $679,013,183 | 58% |
Source: FBI IC3 Internet Crime Reports 2018 to 2025. 2018 and 2020 values rounded to the nearest dollar from the reports' cents. 2024 frozen total is the sum of the two reported components.
Share of fraudulent transfers frozen by the FBI Recovery Asset Team, 2018 to 2025
Chart data
| Category | Share of fraudulent transfers frozen by the FBI Recovery Asset Team, 2018 to 2025 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 75 |
| 2019 | 79 |
| 2020 | 82 |
| 2021 | 74 |
| 2022 | 73 |
| 2023 | 71 |
| 2024 | 66 |
| 2025 | 58 |
The success rate has fallen as volume grew. In 2025 the IC3 noted a shift toward tech support and account takeover cases. In 2025 the RAT handled 104 Financial Fraud Kill Chain incidents classed as BEC or real estate among victims aged 60 and over.
FinCEN's Rapid Response Program reported similar results. In fiscal year 2022 it acted on 806 referrals involving more than $356 million and froze about $174 million, roughly 49%. Since 2014 the program has handled more than $1.3 billion with a total success rate of 51%.
What to do in the first hour, per the FBI: "If you discover a fraudulent transfer, time is of the essence. Immediately contact your financial institution and request a recall." Then file at ic3.gov and notify everyone in the transaction.
Red flags of real estate wire fraud
The most reliable red flag is any change to wiring instructions sent by email. Official guidance from the FBI and the CFPB treats every emailed change as suspect until confirmed by phone with a known number.
"Never make any payment changes without verifying with the intended recipient." (FBI IC3, 2019 Internet Crime Report)
Common red flags, based on the FBI and CFPB guidance on this page and the case examples in FBI reports:
- A late email with "updated" or "corrected" wiring instructions, especially in the days before closing.
- Pressure to wire immediately, or a claim that the usual contact is unavailable.
- An email address that is one character off from the real domain, or a reply-to address that differs from the sender.
- A request to wire to a different bank, a different account name or an individual's account.
- Instructions to keep the change confidential or not to call.
- For sellers and title agents: an owner who will not verify identity in person and wants sale proceeds sent to a new account.
The CFPB's consumer guidance on mortgage closing scams (published 2019, now archived) recommends buyers "identify two trusted individuals to confirm the closing process," "never follow instructions contained in an email," and "create a code phrase" with their closing agent. The same CFPB post said reports of these attempts rose 1,100% between 2015 and 2017, an older figure that shows how long the problem has been building.
How brokerages and agents can protect closings
Protecting a closing comes down to verified channels and controlled documents. The FBI recommends using "secondary channels and/or two-factor authentication to verify requests for changes in account information."
Agents were impersonated in real estate BEC incidents worth $189.8 million in 2020 and 2021, more than title and closing companies. (FinCEN)
Practical controls that follow from the data:
- Tell every buyer, in writing at contract signing, that your brokerage will never send or change wiring instructions by email. Repeat it in the week before closing.
- Give buyers a known phone number for the title or escrow company at the start of the deal, and tell them to call it before any wire.
- Use multi-factor authentication on agent and staff email. FinCEN's data shows agent impersonation was the single largest category by value.
- Keep transaction documents and contact details in one access-controlled system so wiring details are not scattered across inboxes. Our guide to protecting transaction data covers access controls and retention.
- Agree a call-back procedure with your title partners. Our primer on title and escrow for brokers explains who holds funds at each stage.
- Build fraud warnings into your compliance checklist so they are documented on every file. See our overview of real estate compliance.
Brokerages that run deals through transaction management software can keep documents, contacts and approvals out of personal email threads, which narrows the openings criminals use.
A collapsed closing caused by fraud is rare compared with ordinary cancellations, but far more expensive. For context on how often deals fail for other reasons, see our home sale fall-through statistics.
Real estate fraud regulation: FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule
FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule, which would require reports on certain all-cash, non-financed transfers to entities and trusts, is not currently being enforced. A federal court vacated it on 19 March 2026, and FinCEN has appealed.
"While the court's order remains in force, reporting persons are not required to file Real Estate Reports." (FinCEN, 2026)
ALTA notes the rule took effect on 1 December 2025. On 19 March 2026, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued an order vacating it. FinCEN, with the Department of Justice, has appealed. The rule targets money laundering through anonymous property purchases and does not directly address wire diversion at closing, but it would add a reporting step for closing and settlement agents if reinstated. We will update this section when the appeal is decided.
How we compiled these statistics
We read each FBI IC3 annual Internet Crime Report from 2017 to 2025 and took the Real Estate and BEC figures from the crime-type tables. Most reports include three years of data, so most annual figures were confirmed in two or three separate reports. Where two reports differ in rounding, we use the figure in the report for that year.
Definitions. The FBI "Real Estate" category covers real estate investment and rental or timeshare fraud. BEC covers email-based payment diversion across all industries. "Losses" are amounts reported by complainants and are not independently verified by the FBI. Complaints are not unique victims in every case.
FinCEN data is from its March 2023 financial trend analysis of Bank Secrecy Act filings for January 2020 to December 2021, the latest real-estate-specific FinCEN analysis available. ALTA data is from its spring 2026 survey of 245 title professionals; the study was sponsored by a vendor, which we disclose. CFPB guidance is from a 2019 post the CFPB has since archived.
Calculations by Paperless Pipeline: percentage changes, averages per complaint, nine-year totals, the 60+ share of losses, and real estate's share of FinCEN BEC value. All are simple arithmetic on the published figures.
Caveats. Fraud is underreported. The FBI counts only complaints filed with the IC3. Category definitions changed slightly in 2022 ("Real Estate/Rental" became "Real Estate"). Data accessed 8 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How much is lost to real estate wire fraud each year?
$275.1 million was lost to real estate fraud reported to the FBI in 2025, from 12,368 complaints. Closing wire fraud is generally counted under business email compromise, which cost victims $3.05 billion across all sectors in 2025.
Is real estate wire fraud increasing?
Yes. Real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI rose 58% in 2025 and complaints rose 32%, the second straight annual increase. Losses remain below the 2022 peak of $396.9 million.
What was the worst year for real estate fraud?
2022, with $396.9 million in real estate fraud losses reported to the FBI. 2021 was second at $350.3 million.
Who is most at risk of real estate wire fraud?
People aged 60 and over account for a disproportionate share of losses, about 45% of real estate fraud losses in 2025 on FBI data. FinCEN also says individual homebuyers "suffer disproportionately" from real estate BEC.
Who do criminals impersonate in real estate wire fraud?
Title and closing companies and real estate agents. FinCEN found 37% of 2020-2021 real estate BEC incidents impersonated title and closing entities, and agent impersonation accounted for 23.12% of reported value.
Can you get your money back after real estate wire fraud?
Sometimes. The FBI's Recovery Asset Team froze 58% of attempted fraudulent transfers it worked on in 2025, and FinCEN recorded full recovery in 22.21% of 2020-2021 real estate BEC incidents. Speed matters: call your bank and request a recall immediately.
What is the first thing to do if you wired money to a scammer?
Call your bank and ask for a wire recall immediately, then file a complaint at ic3.gov. The FBI says "time is of the essence."
What is seller impersonation fraud?
It is fraud in which a criminal poses as a property owner to sell or borrow against a property. 59% of title firms reported at least one attempt in the prior year in ALTA's 2026 study, up from 28% in 2024.
What does the FBI count as real estate fraud?
The FBI defines its Real Estate category as "loss of funds from a real estate investment or fraud involving rental or timeshare property." Email-based closing wire diversion is generally reported as business email compromise.
Is the FinCEN real estate reporting rule in effect?
No. A federal court vacated FinCEN's Residential Real Estate Rule on 19 March 2026, and FinCEN says reporting persons are not required to file Real Estate Reports while the order remains in force. FinCEN has appealed.
Sources
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2025 Internet Crime Report. April 2026. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2025_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2024 Internet Crime Report. April 2025. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2023 Internet Crime Report. 2024. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2023_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2022 Internet Crime Report. 2023. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2022_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2021 Internet Crime Report. 2022. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2021_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2020 Internet Crime Report. 2021. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2020_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2019 Internet Crime Report. 2020. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2019_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2018 Internet Crime Report. 2019. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2018_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. 2017 Internet Crime Report. 2018. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2017_IC3Report.pdf
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center. Public Service Announcement I-091124-PSA, "Business Email Compromise: The $55 Billion Scam." 11 September 2024. https://www.ic3.gov/PSA/2024/PSA240911
- FinCEN. Financial Trend Analysis, "Business Email Compromise in the Real Estate Sector: Threat Pattern and Trend Information, January 2020 to December 2021." March 2023. https://www.fincen.gov/system/files/shared/Financial_Trend_Analysis_BEC_FINAL.pdf
- FinCEN. "FinCEN Analysis of Business Email Compromise in the Real Estate Sector Reveals Threat Pattern and Trend Information." Press release, 30 March 2023. https://www.fincen.gov/news/news-releases/fincen-analysis-business-email-compromise-real-estate-sector-reveals-threat
- FinCEN. Residential Real Estate Rule page (court order status). Accessed 8 October 2026. https://www.fincen.gov/rre
- National Association of REALTORS. "Online Real Estate Fraud Climbed to $275M in 2025, FBI Says." Eliana Block, 13 April 2026. https://www.nar.realtor/news/real-estate-news/online-real-estate-fraud-climbed-to-275m-in-2025-fbi-says
- American Land Title Association. "Latest FBI Cybercrime Report Shows Real Estate Fraud Losses Rising, Reinforcing Need for Strong Consumer Safeguards." Press release, 10 April 2026. https://alta.org/news-and-publications/press-release/Latest-FBI-Cybercrime-Report-Shows-Real-Estate-Fraud-Losses-Rising-Reinforcing-Need-for-Strong-Consumer-Safeguards
- American Land Title Association. Critical Issues Study: Seller Impersonation Fraud. Spring 2026. https://www.alta.org/business-operations/research-initiatives-and-resources/critical-issue-studies/seller-impersonation-fraud-study
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Mortgage closing scams: how to protect yourself and your closing funds." 3 June 2019 (archived). https://www.consumerfinance.gov/archive/blog/mortgage-closing-scams-how-protect-yourself-and-your-closing-funds/
Wire fraud thrives when closing details live in a dozen inboxes. Paperless Pipeline keeps each deal's documents, contacts and approvals in one access-controlled place, with unlimited users and storage from $69/month. Start a 14-day free trial, no credit card required.