What Should You Do Immediately After Sending Money to a Fraudster?
By JC Pacific Corp Published 2026-09-01 Last professionally reviewed: September 2026
If you believe a real estate wire was sent to a criminal, contact your financial institution immediately and ask it to initiate its fraud and wire-recall procedures and contact the receiving institution. Do not wait to collect every document first.
What should happen immediately?
- 1. Contact the sending bank's fraud department.
- 2. Request immediate recall or recovery action.
- 3. Ask the bank to contact the receiving bank.
- 4. Notify the legitimate escrow, title, lender, attorney, and brokerage contacts.
- 5. Report the incident to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.
- 6. Contact appropriate local law enforcement.
- 7. Preserve emails, texts, telephone numbers, receipts, headers, and instructions.
- 8. Secure compromised email and financial accounts.
What should you avoid?
- Continuing to communicate with the criminal
- Sending an additional recovery fee
- Deleting messages
- Changing evidence before preserving it
- Assuming the bank already contacted law enforcement
- Waiting until the next business day if immediate reporting is available
Frequently Asked Questions
Will the bank recover the money?
Recovery is not guaranteed.
Should I be embarrassed?
No. These scams are designed to imitate trusted professionals. Immediate reporting is more important than blame.
Should passwords be changed?
Yes, using a secure device, along with multifactor authentication and professional security guidance.
Educational information
These are general emergency steps, not a guarantee of recovery or legal advice.
Use the FBI's official IC3 reporting portal (https://www.ic3.gov/) after contacting your financial institution immediately.
Wire-fraud warning
Always verify wire instructions by telephone using a known, independently confirmed number. Never rely on email instructions alone. If you suspect fraud, contact your bank, escrow, your agent and law enforcement immediately.
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JC Pacific Corp is an Irvine-based Southern California brokerage helping buyers navigate offers, escrow, and financing. Tell us what you are looking for and we will point you to current options across the region.
A note on legal advice: These guides provide general, educational information about California real estate practice. They are not legal advice and do not create an attorney-client relationship. Mortgage information is general education, not individualized lending, tax or legal guidance. For advice about your specific offer, contract, closing or financing, consult a qualified California real estate attorney and a qualified mortgage professional.