The Real Estate Email Scam is a growing email fraud that is hitting inboxes across Utah.
In the scam the criminal targets home buyers and sellers by hacking into their emails and intercepting email traffic before a real estate transaction. The criminal creates a fake/ spoofed email to look like your real estate agent, title company or bank to deceive you into sending loan funding, earnest money etc. right to the fraudsters' account instead.
The money is never recovered, so victims have reported financial losses totaling millions even billions of dollars to this email scam.
Don't be fooled! If any communication seems just a little "off", wait before taking action and call your real estate agent to confirm details.
The Utah Division of Real Estate saw the need to educate people and put together a public service video which will be partnered with a statewide billboard campaign through the summer to get the word out. The Utah Board of Realtors have also created a form that consumers must review and sign that outlines the steps to take before and during a real estate transaction so no one falls victim to this email scam.
You can learn more at realestate.utah.gov or utahrealtors.com.
