Real Life Example: How to Identify a Fraudulent Email

Diligence is key when it comes to identifying fraud. Our Settlement Teams are a great example of being on the front line of defense. They recently received an email from First American and immediately noticed a few things were a little off. Upon further review they noted the items below leading them to report the email to our IT, delete the message and prevent fraudulent activity.

Clue #1: There wasn’t a name present on the To section.

Clue #2: When they placed their mouse over the download button it showed a suspicious website instead of the proposed “download”

Clue #3: They didn’t recognize the 833 area code and proceeded to call the phone number shown in the signature line with the intent of having them reference the escrow number or the property to confirm if we have an open file with them. When they called the line continued to ring with no answer.

By keeping an eye out for the items described above you can avoid falling victim to a potential scam. Share these simple steps with your co-workers, family, borrowers and with each act of prevention we take one step towards a more secure environment.