Treat every change to payment instructions as untrusted until you verify it through a known, independently sourced contact channel.
Why ordinary messages need caution
Real-estate transactions involve multiple parties, deadlines, documents, and payments, so a fraudulent message can look plausible when it uses a familiar name, logo, property address, or transaction detail. An unexpected request to wire funds, change an account, resend personal information, or keep a change secret deserves a pause. Email appearance alone cannot establish who sent it.
Use the contact information you already have from a signed document, official website, or prior in-person conversation rather than the phone number or link inside the new message. Ask the known contact whether the instruction is genuine and confirm the account details using the organization’s established procedure. Never let urgency replace verification.
Build a verification habit
Before sending money, read back the recipient, account, amount, and purpose through a trusted channel and ask what independent confirmation is required. If a detail changes, stop and re-verify even when the message appears to come from a lender, agent, title provider, seller, or attorney. Use secure portals when offered, protect passwords, and avoid sending full identity or banking details in ordinary email.
For a Melbourne-area closing, the safest process is still the one established for your particular file, not a generic local assumption. Ask where official instructions will come from, who may authorize a change, and how receipt will be confirmed. Keep verification notes and copies of messages without forwarding sensitive information unnecessarily.
If something seems wrong
If you sent funds or disclosed information after a suspicious request, contact your financial institution and the transaction professionals immediately using known contact details. Preserve the message, headers if available, phone numbers, and transfer information. Ask the professionals handling your transaction what additional reporting or protective steps are appropriate; do not wait for a later appointment.
The official contact page is a useful place to locate the provider’s published contact path, while the services page establishes its general title and settlement role. Neither page proves that a payment request is genuine or provides a guarantee against fraud. This article is general education, not financial, legal, title, escrow, tax, lending, or real-estate advice.
Your preparation list
Keep these prompts for your own use. There is nothing to submit here.
- Use a known, independently sourced phone number to verify every payment instruction or account change.
- Pause whenever a message creates urgency, secrecy, a new recipient, or a request for sensitive information.
- Confirm the recipient, amount, account details, and receipt process before authorizing a transfer.
- If a mistake may have occurred, contact your bank and transaction professionals immediately.
Questions to ask a professional
- What is the established process for issuing and verifying payment instructions on this file?
- Who is authorized to approve a change, and how will that change be independently confirmed?
- What should I do immediately if I sent funds or information after a suspicious message?
Official pages for Landing Title Agency, Inc.
These official source pages provide context about Landing Title Agency, Inc.'s published service scope, background, or contact details. They are linked to help you verify scope—not as an endorsement or proof of requirements for your circumstances.
Official client contact page — establishes the published contact path for independent verification, not fraud protectionOfficial client services page — establishes published settlement-service background, not payment safety guaranteesKeep your next step simple.
Use the Brevard County Home Closing Guide to collect your questions. Optional email follow-up is a separate choice on the request form.