Verify Law Firm Wire Instructions Before You Send Money

Verify Law Firm Wire Instructions Before You Send Money

A payment email that appears to come from a lawyer, title company, or trusted employee can be altered or impersonated. Business email compromise often uses urgency and a believable last-minute account change. Before sending a retainer, settlement, closing, or other large payment, verify the recipient and instructions through a trusted channel you established independently.

Set Expectations Early

At the start of the relationship, ask how the firm sends invoices and payment instructions, which payment methods it accepts, whether account details ever change by email, and who can authorize a change. Save the firm’s verified main number from its engagement letter or independently confirmed website. Do not wait until a deadline to learn the payment process.

Law Offices of Raymond Perez / raymond perez attorney

Los AngelesLos Angeles CountyCalifornia

5161 Pomona Blvd Suite 208, Los Angeles, CA 90022, USA

Inspect the Message

Look closely at the sender address, reply-to address, domain spelling, links, attachment type, tone, and signature. A display name alone proves nothing. The FBI advises examining email addresses and URLs carefully because small differences are used to deceive recipients. Do not open an unexpected attachment or sign in through a payment link before verification.

Braden & Tucci / braden and tucci

Los AngelesLos Angeles CountyCalifornia

811 Wilshire Blvd 17th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90017, USA

Treat Changes as High Risk

Pause when a message changes the bank, account number, beneficiary, payment platform, deadline, or contact person. Urgency, secrecy, unusual business hours, and requests to avoid calling are warning signs. Even a real email thread can be compromised. A familiar writing style, correct case details, or a copied signature does not authenticate new financial instructions.

Call a Trusted Number

Use a phone number obtained independently before the suspicious message—not the number in that email, attachment, or text. Speak with a known lawyer or authorized billing person and ask them to confirm the request. The FBI’s business email compromise guidance specifically recommends independently looking up the company number and verifying payment requests and changes.

Repeat Details Carefully

During verification, read back the beneficiary name, bank, routing information, account ending, exact amount, matter or invoice reference, and deadline. Do not ask only, “Did you send an email?” because an attacker may have used a real thread. Have the firm explain the purpose and confirm the complete instruction set through the agreed channel.

Use Approved Secure Methods

Use the firm’s established client portal, in-person process, or other documented payment channel when available. Type a known portal address or use a saved verified bookmark rather than an email link. Enable multi-factor authentication where supported and never share a one-time code with an unsolicited caller. Report unexpected password-reset or login notices to the firm.

Confirm Authority and Purpose

Match the payment to the signed fee agreement, settlement statement, court order, invoice, escrow direction, or other relevant document. Confirm which entity is supposed to receive and hold the funds and whether any conditions apply. Do not send funds to a personal account simply because someone claims it will speed processing. Ask the lawyer about legal and deadline consequences before delaying a required payment.

Save Proof and Confirm Receipt

Keep the verified instructions, invoice, call details, transfer confirmation, beneficiary information, and timestamp in the secure matter file. Contact the known firm representative after sending and confirm actual receipt, not merely transmission. A bank confirmation can show that money left your account without proving the intended recipient controls the destination account.

Act Immediately After a Wrong Transfer

If fraud or misdirection is suspected, contact your financial institution immediately and request a recall or fraud response. Notify the law firm through a known channel, preserve emails and headers, and report as directed to law enforcement and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. Do not continue negotiating with the apparent sender or delete messages. Speed can affect recovery opportunities.

Get Matter-Specific Advice

Payment duties, escrow rules, trust accounts, settlement terms, and reporting obligations vary by jurisdiction and transaction. Ask the responsible lawyer what applies and whether a suspected compromise affects a court or closing deadline. This article is general fraud-prevention information, not legal advice, bank advice, or a determination of who bears a particular loss.

Create a two-person check for business or family payments when practical. One person compares the request with the governing document; another calls the verified contact and reads back the details. Neither should rely on a forwarded email as independent confirmation. For recurring payments, verify changes with the same discipline as a first transfer. A familiar payee relationship can make a compromised request seem more convincing, not less risky.

The essential rule is simple: verify money instructions outside the message that delivered them. Establish the process early, distrust account changes and urgency, call a known number, repeat every detail, use secure channels, confirm receipt, and act immediately if funds went to the wrong place.