The Fake Solicitor Email Scam
A couple buying their first home received an email appearing to come from their solicitor changing the bank account for their deposit — and sent £45,000 to criminals.
Attack Chain
- 1Solicitor email account compromised
- 2Bank detail email intercepted
- 3Criminals send replacement email with their account details
- 4Buyers transfer deposit without verbal verification
Background
Conveyancing fraud targets people during property purchases, when large sums are legitimately being transferred and people are anxious about meeting deadlines. Criminals monitor email threads between buyers and solicitors by compromising one party's email account.
The Attack
The criminals had compromised the solicitor's email account. When the solicitor sent the couple bank details for the deposit transfer, the criminals intercepted it and sent a replacement email from the same address with changed bank details. The couple, under pressure to complete the purchase, transferred £45,000 without calling the solicitor to verify.
Response
The solicitor's firm called to ask about the missing payment the following morning. The buyers immediately called their bank. The receiving account had already been emptied. Police and Action Fraud were notified. The solicitors's firm notified their insurers.
Outcome
The couple lost £45,000 — their entire deposit. The solicitors' firm faced an insurance claim and regulatory investigation. The couple were unable to complete the purchase. Recovery of funds through civil action against the firm took two years.
Key Takeaways
- Always call your solicitor on a known number to verbally confirm bank details before making any property-related transfer
- Solicitors should never change their bank details mid-transaction — if you receive such a request, treat it as a red flag
- Verify the sort code and account number with the bank before sending: call your bank and ask them to confirm the account name matches
- Never transfer large sums based solely on an email — the stakes are too high for one-channel verification
- Ask your solicitor what their security policy is for sharing bank details before you start a transaction