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Information Security

Florida Cyber Crimes in 2023*: 41,061 Incidents   Losses: $874.7M

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation Internet Crime Report 2023 


Be Cyber Smart!

Check these tips daily to learn how to protect your information, avoid wire fraud and more.


View Cyber Security Tips


8 Cybersecurity Commandments

Be Smart. Be Safe. Be Cyber-Secure!

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)


How to Report Cyber Fraud

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.


Live Webinars

On-Demand Webinars

  • Protecting NPI – Pillar 3 - Purchase Now

    This 2-part webinar examines ALTA Best Practices Pillar 3: Privacy and Information Security, focusing on protecting a customer's Non-public Personal Information.

  • Record Retention and Disposal: Put It in Writing - Purchase Now

  • Spot the Fraud - Purchase Now

  • Safe Disbursement Practices (In Today’s Dangerous Cyber World) - Purchase Now

On-Demand Training

  • Real Property and Fake Sellers - Watch Now

    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 protocols to protect all parties. Foreign Seller or Scam Alert? Is My Seller Subject to FIRPTA? Checklist Online Resource - ID Checker

  • The Invisible Seller: Avoiding Vacant Land Fraud - Watch Now

    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 look at some of the ways the fraudsters operate, how to spot a potential fraud, and when to just walk away. In addition, attendees will learn how to spot fraudulent Florida driver licenses often utilized in vacant land frauds. Supporting Materials

  • A Whole Lotta BS (Behavioral Science) about Cybersecurity - Watch Now

    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 headlines about cyber-attacks and data breaches, none of it seems to be working.  How do we make sense of it all?  If you find it confusing, you’re not alone.  New research from the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) reveals insights about the public’s attitudes and beliefs about security.  Via this interactive webinar, we’ll compare Fund Members’ attitudes on cybersecurity to those of participants in NCA’s study and cut through the confusion to give Members easy, practical advice on how to keep themselves, their families and firms safe and secure.  Presented by Lisa Plaggemier, Executive Director at the National Cybersecurity Alliance.

  • Avoiding Mortgage Payoff Fraud - Watch Now

    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 thievery has led to the latest crime wave: mortgage payoff fraud. This threat and others is the focus of this webinar. Real estate attorneys, title agents and other practitioners will learn the nature and type of cybercrimes affecting Florida real estate closings; why mortgage payoff fraud is more pernicious than other types of cybercrimes, and steps the frontline practitioner can take to help reduce today’s threat vectors, including the implementation of new technologies, and the role of insurance. Supporting Materials

  • An Insider's Look at Cyber Security Cases - Watch Now

    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 providing counsel in incidents arising from cyber security attacks. Mr. Swanson will share lessons learned from an assortment of cases that he and his team have handled, including those involving wire transfer fraud, ransomware and data breaches. We’ll learn what transpires once the cyberattack occurs, the need for sound procedures and guidelines, what may be expected or required of the insured and the role of retained counsel. This promises to be an interesting and important webinar, with information that can only be gained from an attorney practicing in the trenches. Supporting Materials

  • Cyber Insurance for the Closing Agent: A Roundtable Discussion with Industry Experts - Watch Now

    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 compromise, wire transfer fraud, social engineering fraud and ransomware attacks. This is a “must-see” program for Fund members interested in learning more about cyber insurance policies.

  • What?! We’ve Been Phished! – An Online Tabletop Exercise - Watch Now

    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 incident response plan adopted by the American Land Title Association. Throughout the course of this exercise, viewers will be challenged to consider how prepared their companies are for the possibility of a similar attack.   Supporting Materials

  • A Fund Roundtable: Cyber-Hygiene Tips You Need to Adopt Today - Watch Now

    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 can be incorporated into the member's Best Practices manual.  Supporting Materials

  • Computer Security in the Age of Cyber-Crime - Watch Now

    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 technology managers need to consider employing to protect against data breaches and cyber-attacks.  Invite your IT managers to attend!  Supporting Materials

  • Third-Party Security Vetting for Law Firms - Watch Now

    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 processes that larger companies are implementing to ensure that their vendor and law firm partners are properly protecting their sensitive data. The program will walk members through a standard cybersecurity questionnaire, offer guidance on how to implement security controls that are increasingly being required by clients, provide guidelines and resources needed to perform an internal security risk assessment and build an affordable cybersecurity program.  Supporting Materials

  • Protecting Yourself Against Wire Fraud - Watch Now

    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 can technology protect against wire fraud? Join Tom Cronkright of CertifID for a free Fund Town Hall to learn more about wire fraud, its devastating effect on our industry, and how CertifID’s real-time identity platform can safeguard your wires – and protect you from becoming a victim. Supporting Materials

  • Insuring Against Mortgage Payoff Fraud, Business Email Compromise Fraud & Other Social Engineering F - Watch Now

    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 will look at what mortgage payoff fraud entails, how cyber-theft continues to plague our industry, and why settlement agents need to consider procuring insurance against losses due to computer crimes. Supporting Materials

  • Stopping Cyber Fraud - Watch Now

    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 programs to reach thousands of email accounts with a single message has led to an assault on our industry by domestic and foreign actors bent on committing fraud. This seminar provides an overview of the risks of "Business Email Compromise" to real estate lawyers and title agents, and suggests ethical best practices to avoid falling for fraudulent schemes which use email as a tool to perpetrate them. Supporting Materials

  • Escrow & Cyber Security: Protecting You & Your Clients - Watch Now

    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 management services. Its team is at the forefront of providing transaction monitoring, daily reconciliations and other anti-fraud measures. In this recorded seminar, Matt and Lee will look at the “Good Old Days,” how our perspectives differs from criminals, current threats, and proactive solutions to cyber fraud.

  • What Every Real Estate Attorney Needs to Know About Cyber Risk Insurance - Watch Now

    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 Cyber Risk Practice Leader, presented a free Fund Town Hall webinar addressing what real estate practitioners need to know about insuring against Business Email Compromise fraud.

  • Cyber Liability Insurance - Watch Now

    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. Supporting Materials

Questions

Send us your questions and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Help us learn about the issues you are encountering in your practices, which in turn guides how we can best support you.

Email: LegalEd@TheFund.com 


News & Alerts

Fraud and Forgery - Catch Me If You Can
1/01/2024

By Princy Valiathodathil, Fund Underwriting Counsel


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
09/01/2023

By Michael E. Mirrington, Fund Sr. Underwriting Counsel


What to Check When Checking IDs
03/01/2023

By Linda Monaco, B.C.S., Fund Legal Education Attorney


Be On the Lookout – Vacant Land Sales and Increased Risk of Fraud and Identity Theft
10/01/2022

By Caleb Hinton, Fund Underwriting Counsel


Avoiding Fraudulent Transactions: A Guide For Fund Members
07/01/2022

By Scott D. Jackson, Fund Underwriting Counsel


High Alert For Mortgage Payoff Fraud 
07/01/2021

By Michael Rothman, Fund Sr. Manager, Legal Education


Spoofed Payoff Letters
03/01/2021

By Elsa Camacho, Fund Claims Counsel


You've Been Hacked – Now What?
05/01/2017

By John St. Lawrence, Fund Legal Education Attorney


Introduction to Email Encryption
08/01/2015

By Linda N. Monaco, Fund Legal Education Attorney


Cyber and Privacy Insurance
02/01/2015

By John H. Simmons, President, Fund Insurance Solutions, LLC


Practical Tips for a Clean Desk Policy and Procedure
01/01/2015

By Linda Monaco, Fund Legal Education Attorney


ALTA Best Practice Pillar No. 3
10/01/2013

By Melissa S. Scaletta, Fund Member Education Manager