Fraud Prevention
Wire fraud is the fastest-growing crime in real estate.
Learn how to verify our communications & how to spot a scam.
Is This Email Really From Us?
Before you wire a single dollar, check these four things. It takes 30 seconds.
Check the sender's actual email address
@adamsabstractco.com
Anything else — no matter what the display name says
Verify the phone number independently
(918) 647-8141 — our only office line
Any number you haven't verified yourself
Watch for sudden payment changes
Payment methods discussed early and in person
"We can no longer accept cashier's checks…"
Never trust urgency in an email
Real closings have planned timelines
"Wire today or your closing is cancelled"
How Fake Emails Work
Scammers are sophisticated. They copy real employee names, titles, our address, and even our email signature formatting. The differences are subtle — but once you know what to look for, they're easy to catch.
A scammer can make the display name say anything — "Lisa Wooten (Adams Abstract Company)" — but the real email address underneath will be something like escrow@titlesitt1ementeams.com. Always click on or hover over the sender name to reveal the actual address.
If you were told you could bring a cashier's check, and then you get an email saying checks are no longer accepted and you must wire immediately — that's a textbook fraud tactic. We coordinate payment expectations early and don't change them over email.
Scammers copy everything about our email signature — names, titles, our address — but swap in their own phone number. If you call the number in the scam email, the scammer answers and pretends to be us. Always look up our number independently.
Urgency is a scammer's most powerful weapon. Real estate closings have planned timelines. If an email is pressuring you to act "immediately" to "avoid delays at settlement," that pressure is designed to prevent you from thinking clearly.
Scammers may use real employee names but assign them the wrong title. For example, they might call someone an "Escrow Officer" when that person holds a completely different role. If something doesn't match what you expected, call us.
From
Lisa Wooten (Adams Abstract Company, Inc.)
escrow@titlesitt1ementeams.com
Not @adamsabstractco.com — this is fake!
Subject
Re: 123 Private Drive Lane Poteau, OK 74953
My sincere apologies, but we can no longer accept cashier's checks for the payment of funds required to close.
Effective immediately, all closing funds must be sent via wire transfer.
Sudden payment changes + urgency = classic fraud
Lisa Wooten, Escrow Officer
Adams Abstract Company, Inc.
206 S. Broadway / P.O. Box 98
Poteau, OK 74953
Wrong number — our real number is (918) 647-8141
Illustrative example based on real-world fraud attempts.
The Vendor Callback
Two minutes on the phone can save hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Here's how to verify wire instructions every time.
Ignore the phone number included in the email
The fake number in a scam email
belongs to the scammer.
They'll answer and pretend to be us.
Find our number yourself
Use our website, Google, or a business card you already have. Our number is (918) 647-8141.
Call us and verify
"I received an email about wire instructions and I'd like to confirm them over the phone."
Scam Dictionary
Why do people do this? Real estate involves enormous sums of money, and intercepting just one transaction is massively profitable for a criminal.
Here are the terms you should know.
Phishing
/ˈfɪʃ.ɪŋ/A fraudulent email designed to look legitimate. Like fishing — scammers cast out bait (fake emails) hoping someone will bite and hand over money or personal information.
Smishing
/ˈsmɪʃ.ɪŋ/The same trick but via text message (SMS + phishing = smishing). "Urgent: your closing is delayed. Click here to update your info." Delete it. Call us instead.
Spoofing
/ˈspuː.fɪŋ/When a scammer disguises their email address, display name, or phone number to impersonate someone you trust — like an Adams Abstract employee.
Wire Fraud
/waɪr frɔːd/The end goal of most real estate scams. The scammer tricks you into wiring your closing funds to their bank account instead of our secure escrow account. Real estate is targeted because the dollar amounts are large — often six figures.
Something Feel Off? Call Us.
Our team would rather field a dozen "just checking" calls than see a single client lose their closing funds to fraud. It takes two minutes and costs nothing.
Never feel rushed. Never feel embarrassed. Just call.