Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Report 2022
Check these tips daily to learn how to protect your information, avoid wire fraud and more.
View Cyber Security Tips
Document all approved parties’ contact information at the start of a transaction.
Encrypt all emails containing wire instructions or other sensitive data.
Use ONLY trusted, secure email accounts for communications and transactions - NEVER use free or web-based accounts.
Prior to closing, execute an agreement determining the methods of funds transfer with the seller/borrower.
Regard any request for deviation from the established funding agreement as suspicious.
Confirm wiring instructions and receipt of wired funds verbally with documented approved parties.
Slow down. A slow, confirmed closing is always preferred over one that could be compromised.
DON’T WAIT! If you suspect fraud, contact your bank and appropriate authorities.
8 Cybersecurity Commandments (.pdf)
If you feel that your business or information may be compromised through a cyber attack:
Immediately inform the sender bank – contact the Chief of Security and ask for a recall of the wire.
Immediately inform the receiving bank.
Immediately contact the nearest U.S. Secret Service field office.
Miami Field Office: (305) 863-5000
Orlando Field Office: (407) 648-6333
Jacksonville Field Office: (904) 296-0133
Tampa Field Office: (813) 228-2636
All suspected cases of cyber fraud can be reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov. If the cyber fraud involved a wire transfer, report to bec.ic3.gov. Note: These websites merely collect data. Do not expect to receive a response from the authorities.
This webinar examines the American Land Title Association’s (ALTA) Best Practices Pillar 3: Privacy and Information Security.
Learn the parameters of information security and their applicability to practitioners, rules on confidentiality, safeguarding information, and proper disposal.
Real estate professionals have among their fiduciary duties the ethical obligation to review transaction documents, mortgage payoff statements (estoppel letters) and all forms of photo identification to ensure their legitimacy and authenticity. This one-hour course...
Attorneys have a legal and ethical responsibility to safeguard escrowed funds. This seminar will identify clues an attorney can look for to discern whether mortgage payoff fraud is being attempted in connection with a real estate transaction and provide strategies to...
This webinar will discuss the importance of vulnerability management Hear about ransomware trends, the threat actors who perpetrate criminal activities and tips to protect yourself.
What are the red flags for a fraudulent vacant land sale? Watch a dramatic enactment of an imaginary deal gone very, very wrong and learn what title agents and others can do to avoid this re-emerging scheme that can cost time, money, and heartache. We’ll...
As a busy title professional, you understand how critical it is to ensure the security of confidential data. Join us as we look at ClosingVue’s security features such as Closing Portal, sending secure emails, managing user access and more. Presented by...
During this webinar, Julie Lepore, President and Owner of Total FIRPTA, LLC presents Real Property and Fake Sellers. Members will learn how to spot fraudulent sales early on, understand how to properly vet the seller's identity, and establish policies and...
Let’s be honest: most of us find cybersecurity frustrating. Thinking up long complex passwords, trying to find our phones when we need a code to log in to an account… it’s a pain! And if we believe the scary cybersecurity...
Real estate practitioners face pronounced dangers due to cybercrime. FBI statistics reveal Florida among those states with the highest rate of cyber victims and dollars lost. Business email compromise (BEC) combined with devilishly clever social engineering feats of...
The Fund welcomes Brian Kouwenhoven of Kouwenhoven & Associates, Inc. and Cynthia Zimmerman of Socius Insurance Services for a roundtable discussion on the various insurance products available to law firms and title agencies to protect against business email...
The Fund’s Legal Education Department is pleased to welcome Joseph Swanson, a shareholder of the Tampa office of Carlton Fields, An Insider’s Look at Cyber Security Cases. A large portion of Mr. Swanson’s practice involves litigating cases and...
Join us as we depict a fictional firm’s reaction to learning that it’s fallen victim to an elaborate wire transfer fraud. At crucial points in the firm’s odyssey, we stop and consider the firm’s actions – and inactions - in view of the...
Join Ron Frechette, CEO of GoldSky Security for a FREE webinar, Third-Party Security Vetting for Law Firms. Ron wowed the crowd at Fund Assembly with his Dark Web presentation and is back to introduce Fund members to the third-party security vetting...
Join Darrell Marsh, The Fund's Computer Security Manager, Information Technology, as he presents Computer Security in the Age of Cyber-Crime. This program focuses on the various types of computer security that Fund members and their information...
Join the attorneys of The Fund's Legal Education Department as we present A Fund Roundtable: Cyber-Hygiene Tips You Need to Adopt Today. We will share practical tips that law firms and title agencies can adopt to mitigate against cyber-crime and which...
Real estate settlement providers are now the #1 target of cyber fraudsters and the types of frauds are ever evolving. Mortgage payoff frauds now joins the list of business email compromise and other social engineering frauds affecting closing agents. This webinar...
Day of closing. Updated payoff letter received and your bookkeeper has loaded the wire for you to release. Before you hit the “Send” button, are you absolutely certain that the wiring instruction relied upon is authentic? Are there ways to tell? How...
Fund Members need to be asking “Will my existing insurance policies cover a loss due to a spoofing incident?” and “What insurance do I need to protect against a catastrophic loss?”. On October 30th at noon, Robert Rosenzweig of RPLU, National...
On 10/23/2018 Matt Rease and Lee Swaffield of RynohLive presented a free Fund Town Hall, Escrow and Cyber Security: Protecting You and Your Clients. RynohLive is a patented, web-based “bridge application” that has helped revolutionize escrow account...
Electronic communication has become a way of life as has the practice of conducting financial transactions, which are part and parcel of a real estate closing, electronically. Unfortunately, the ease of communication in the cyber age and the widespread use of...
If you've been wondering what cyber liability insurance does and does not cover, how much it costs, and how it can protect your office, this is the presentation for you.
A collection of questions and tips about information security answered.
Information Security FAQ’s &Tips
Information Security FAQ’s (.pdf)
Tips to Avoid Mortgage Payoff Fraud (.pdf)
FLTA's Cyber Security Best Practices (.pdf)
Be Wary, Be Diligent - Notary Fraud List 2023
Cyber Liability Insurance
Stopping Cyber Fraud
Escrow & Cyber Security: Protecting You & Your Clients
What Every Real Estate Attorney Needs to Know About Cyber Risk Insurance
Protecting Yourself Against Wire Fraud
Window to the Law: Cyberscams and the Real Estate Professional
Arm Your Clients Against Wire Fraud
How to Report Wire Fraud
An alphabetical list of information security terms with their definitions.
Spoofed Payoff Letters
Be On High Alert For Mortgage Payoff Fraud
Introduction to Email Encryption
You've Been Hacked - Now What? Responsibilities Under Florida's Information Protection Act and ALTA
Cyber and Privacy Insurance
Practical Tips for a Clean Desk Policy and Procedure Pillar 3 - Privacy & Information Security
ALTA Best Practice Pillar No. 3
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
American Land Title Association
Federal Trade Commission
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Up-to-Date Industry News and Information
ALTA's Rapid Response Plan for Wire Fraud Incidents
ALTA’s Tips for Seller Impersonation Fraud
Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council
Federal Trade Commission - Start with Security: A Guide for Business
Lock Down Your Login
Choosing and Protecting Passwords
Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks
Phishing Tip Card
Cyber Security Checklist for Buyer, Seller & Realtor Transactions
Sample Wire Fraud Warnings You Can Use
ALTA's Outgoing Wire Fraud Checklist
How Wire Fraud Starts
Pillar No. 3
Email questions to legaled@thefund.com. If your question can help others, we'll add it to our information security FAQs page.
The Invisible Seller: Avoiding Vacant Land Fraud 11/09/2023
Watch a dramatic enactment of an imaginary deal gone very, very wrong and learn what to do to avoid this re-emerging...
Read More »
Safely Close with ClosingVue 11/03/2023
As a busy title professional, you understand how critical it is to ensure the security of confidential data. Join us...
Real Property and Fake Sellers 11/03/2023
Learn how to spot fraudulent sales early on, understand how to properly vet the seller's identity, and establish...
A Whole Lotta BS (Behavioral Science) about Cybersecurity 10/19/2023
Let’s be honest: most of us find cybersecurity frustrating. Thinking up long complex passwords, trying to find our...
ALERT! Do Not Fall Victim to Fraud 10/17/2023
Ensure that you have thoroughly vetted the parties to the transaction, especially the Seller!
New Measures to Reduce Real Property Fraud 09/20/2023
Session Law 2023-238: Florida Legislature Creates and Enhances Anti-Fraud Law, New Quitclaim Deed, and...
Be Wary, Be Diligent - Notary Fraud List 2023 09/19/2023
List of notaries used in recent fraud claims that are BOGUS and you should not accept.
ALTA’s Tips for Seller Impersonation Fraud 05/11/2023
FRAUDSTERS are impersonating property owners to illegally sell commercial or residential property. Sophisticated...
Amendment No. 1 to CS/HB 1419 - Title Fraud Filed 05/01/2023
There is a bill pending in the Florida legislature establishing a pilot project in the Lee County Clerk's office...
FLTA's Cybersecurity Best Practices 03/08/2023
Create a cyber security plan – it all starts with: Setup, Train, Obtain and Plan – in essence, the word: STOP.