How fraud gets stopped in its tracks by real estate and title pros

In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) logged 1,008,597 cyber-enabled crime complaints, with losses surpassing $20.8 billion — a 26% rise from the prior year.

Real estate fraud alone led to 12,368 complaints and $275.1 million in losses.

Business email compromise — often targeting home closings and wire transfers — accounted for $3.04 billion in losses across 24,768 complaints.

IC3 received more than 22,000 AI-related complaints in 2025, with adjusted losses exceeding $893 million.

The FBI told HousingWire that use of AI in real estate scams often flies under victim’s radars, even when they know a scam is taking place.

“Most complainants do not realize AI could have been used in the fraud or scam they are reporting,” the bureau said. “Therefore, AI-related complaints are determined via the complainants’ statements and keywords they may use throughout the complaint. If a complainant believes AI was utilized to conduct the scam, they can state as such in the complaint.

“However, complaints with reference to frauds/scams using AI-generated content are not handled any differently than complaints without such reference.”

Fraud protection provider CertifID detailed how it helps clients through the fraud reporting process — emphasizing the need for speed.

“We don’t file IC3 or police reports on behalf of victims, as those reports must come from the victim directly, but we guide them through completing the right ones quickly and accurately,” the company said in an email. “What CertifID does is ensure those reports have a place to go. Our federal law enforcement partnerships guarantee that the right federal resources are immediately engaged, which dramatically improves the odds of a successful recovery.

“The two work in parallel. Victim-filed reports support the criminal investigation; our engagement drives the financial recovery.”

What to do when encountering fraud

IC3 instructs victims to retain all original documentation when reporting fraud.

That begins with preserving evidence in its native format — saving full email files instead of screenshots, downloading attachments directly, retaining text messages with timestamps intact and avoiding forwarding or editing files in ways that could strip metadata.

This step is especially important in cases involving AI-generated content.

The National Association of Realtors cite how this level of preservation and documentation is needed to effectively combat scammers using deepfake technology. Original files allow forensic experts to examine hidden data and detect manipulation.

Complainants receive a submission ID once on the confirmation screen after their complaint is submitted, the FBI said.

“This is also the time when the complainant should print or save their complaint as it will also preserve the submission ID along with their submission,” the bureau said. “Agents can obtain the submission ID from the IC3 complaint and confirm this number with the complainant to help confirm identity.

Experts also urge professionals to preserve entire communication threads and document how contact began, whether through a listing platform, referral or unsolicited outreach. That includes a record of phone numbers, email addresses, usernames and any shifts in communication patterns.

An explainer from American Bankers Association notes that deepfake scams often include subtle irregularities such as mismatched audio, unusual urgency or inconsistencies in tone.

Potential fraud victims are advised to include detailed financial information in IC3 complaints, including transaction dates, dollar amounts, recipient accounts and involved institutions.

Collect all related documents — wire instructions, settlement statements, title records and confirmation receipts — and keep them organized and unaltered.

Rapid reporting of any incident increases the likelihood that transactions can be intercepted before funds are fully transferred.

Store original files securely and create backups to prevent loss. When sharing information with investigators or financial institutions, provide copies rather than originals and document when and how the files were transmitted, experts add.

“Agents should capture timestamps precisely, since correlating timing across multiple targets is
one of the most useful patterns for industry threat sharing,” said CertifID added. “If the attempt came via email or document, preserving the original artifacts (headers, metadata, file hashes) is critical. Raw
biometric samples never leave the network. They are producible only under law enforcement
process, through a tiered access model.

“A threat-sharing network that exposed victim biometrics would deserve to fail, and ours is designed to make that impossible. All information should be reported to the agent’s dedicated CSM, or directly to CertifID’s Trust & Safety team. From there, our team works around the clock to add these records to our system and ensure we’re proactively mitigating fraudulent activity throughout our network.”

Avoid becoming the weak link

AI-driven fraud continues to reshape the risk landscape in real estate, making scams more scalable, more believable and harder to detect.

In this environment, the ability to document and report fraud effectively is as important as preventing it.

If a complaint appears to meet the threshold for potential Financial Fraud Kill Chain action, the complaint is automatically routed to IC3’s Recovery Asset Team.

“Each field office has different criteria for investigative thresholds and priorities, which can change quickly dependent upon operational capabilities and circumstances,” the FBI said. “Therefore, most field offices are independently reviewing IC3 data for new investigative leads according to the Office’s thresholds.”

By following IC3-aligned practices — preserving original evidence, capturing context, securing financial records, reporting quickly and maintaining chain of custody — real estate and title professionals as well as consumers can improve the chances of stopping fraud in its tracks.