Title insurance agents’ biggest concerns in 2026 center around compliance issues and economic uncertainty, according to The Title Report’s 2026 Voice of the Title Agent released in April, but many agents also placed cyberthreats and data and escrow security near the top of the list.
And for good reason.
The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) released its 2025 statistical report in April, noting that fraud complaints topped 1 million this year for the first time, while losses ballooned to $20.877 billion, a 26% increase from 2024.
What should concern real estate agents, loan officers and title agents is that phishing and spoofing represented by far the most complaints at 191,561, a perennial entry point for fraudsters in a real estate transaction. In addition, business email compromise losses, most often resulting from wire fraud, topped $3 billion.
While fraud attempts continue to proliferate, the IC3 Recovery Asset Team (RAT) and the Financial Fraud Kill Chain (FFKC) have been effective at creating a liaison between law enforcement and financial institutions to facilitate the freezing and recovery of funds stolen through cyber-enabled fraud.
The IC3 RAT team fielded 3,900 alerts in 2025 for a reported attempted theft of $1.16 billion. The FFKC was successful in freezing nearly $770 million in misappropriated assets, covering both domestic and international incidents.
The FBI reported that the majority of FFKC incidents initiated by the IC3 RAT have traditionally been a result of BEC, however in 2025 the FFKC process saw a rise in tech support and account takeover initiations as well.
Actions to Take to Address Wire Fraud
If your transaction has been usurped by a wire fraud scam, reacting quickly and decisively will give you the best chance of thwarting the attempt and/or recovering lost funds. Because time is so crucial, every participant in the transaction is encouraged to create a thorough plan of attack that is actively “rehearsed” with staff to optimize their success. Since title agents manage the escrow accounts for the transaction, here are steps they must take to prepare for potential fraud:
What to Do Today:
- Establish direct contact with the bank employee who manages wire fraud mitigation
- Determine what information the bank will require in the event of a wire fraud incident
- Create step-by-step protocols for staffers, should a problem arise, and rehearse the process
- Make sure every agent has quick access to a list of contacts needed to put the FFKC in motion
- Train staff on what information must be sent quickly to the bank and law enforcement, including:
- Name of the sender and receiving bank,
- All relevant account numbers and names on the account
- Transaction details, including date and amount
- Email addresses, subject lines and messaging used in the BEC attempt
What to Do If a Scam Is Identified:
- Contact your bank immediately and request they initiate a reversal of the wired funds
- Report the incident to your local FBI field office and file an IC3 complaint
- Change passwords for all compromised accounts
- Provide details to your IT department and initiate an internal investigation
At FAN, we are dedicated to protecting the integrity of the real estate transactions we manage and collaborate closely with our clients to keep everyone on the alert for attempted fraud. Contact us today to learn how we can help you with your next transaction.
