Real Estate Wire Transfer Fraud in Austin

I’m reaching out to see if anyone else has fallen victim—or nearly fallen victim—to wire transfer fraud while purchasing a home in Austin. My friends recently lost over $400,000 in a highly sophisticated scam where fraudsters impersonated their title company and real estate agent.

The scammers somehow had exact details about their home closing, including settlement statements and total cost, which made the emails and phone calls seem completely legitimate. The funds were sent to a U.S. bank account, but despite reporting it immediately to banks, law enforcement, and the FBI, progress in receiving any meaningful response has been slow or nonexistent.

This type of fraud seems to be on the rise. A similar case was reported earlier this year in this CNBC article, where a Silicon Valley family faced a nearly identical scheme.

We’re hoping to connect with others who’ve: – had similar experiences in Austin; – had received similar fraud emails from their title company during the closing process. We’re hesitant to share the name of the title company involved until my friends have consulted a lawyer.

If this has happened to you or someone you know, I would love to hear from you here or via DM.

My hope is that the more awareness this issue gets, the more it can illustrate the need for stronger protections and decisive action from the state to prevent others from enduring such heartbreaking losses.

Edit: formatting