How these schemes are usually built
Escrow scams tend to take one of two shapes. In the first, a buyer of a car, equipment, or a domain name is steered to an escrow service that does not exist, often recommended by the seller and set up to look independent. In the second, a real estate or business closing is hijacked when someone gains access to an email account and sends altered wiring instructions that appear to come from the attorney, agent, or title company. In both, the money is moved onward quickly, sometimes through several accounts or converted to cryptocurrency, which is why the first hours matter so much.
The calls to make right away
Call your bank's fraud line right away and ask that a recall request go to the receiving bank; tell them it is fraud, not a dispute with a merchant. A wire you authorized, even under deception, is usually treated differently from a transfer you never authorized, so recovery often depends on how quickly the receiving bank can freeze what is left. Next, get a report on file with local police and the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and warn everyone involved in the transaction through a phone number you already trust rather than one in the suspicious email. Keep the emails in their original form, including headers, along with the website address, screenshots, and every confirmation number.
What a lawyer can add after the report
Once the urgent steps are done, the questions become who else may share responsibility and where the money went. Depending on the facts, that can include a closing participant whose email was compromised, an institution that ignored warning signs, or an account holder who received the funds. We review the paper trail, consider whether a civil action or subpoenas could help trace and hold assets, and look at any title, cyber, or crime insurance that might respond. Recovery is uncertain in many escrow scam cases, and we will be direct with you about that as the facts come in.
