Secure closings
How Abacus protects your money and identity, and how to spot wire fraud before it costs you.
Every wire verified with SAFEvalidation®
Before we send a payoff or seller proceeds, the receiving bank account is checked through SAFEvalidation, an independent wire verification service. It confirms that the account details belong to the intended payee before any money moves.
Confirm before you wire
Our wiring instructions come with your title commitment. Before you send money, call your closer at a number on this website to confirm them. We will never email you to say our instructions have changed. If you get that email, it is not from us.
Every party verified
Before closing, every buyer, seller and borrower we close with verifies their identity online through First American: a photo of their government-issued ID and a facial match. They show the same ID again at signing.
How wire fraud works
Criminals watch for real estate deals, often by breaking into an email account. Just before closing they send a convincing email, appearing to come from the title company, your agent or your lender, with "updated" wiring instructions. The money goes to their account and is very hard to recover.
Warning signs
- Any email that changes where to send money
- Urgent pressure to wire today
- A sender address that is almost, but not exactly, right
- A request to keep the change quiet or not to call
Protect yourself
- Call your closer at a number on this website before sending funds
- Never use a phone number from the email itself
- Confirm receipt with us by phone after you wire
- Consider a cashier's check if you are unsure
Think you've been targeted?
Call your bank immediately and ask it to recall the wire, then call your closer. Report the fraud to the FBI at ic3.gov. The faster you act, the better the chance of recovering funds.
Ready to open a file?
Order online, email orders@abtitlemi.com, or send our order form to any office.