EasyWayIT — Tampa Bay

The 8-Point Wire-Fraud &
Data-Security Check for Brokerages

Real estate is the #1 target for email wire-fraud. Score your brokerage in 4 minutes — before a diverted closing wire, an E&O claim, or a title partner finds the gap for you.

Applies to: Real estate brokerages & teams (3–30 agents) Updated: 2026 Aligned to: FBI IC3 BEC guidance, NAR data-security expectations, lender/title partner requirements

Business email compromise (BEC) wire-fraud is the single most expensive risk a brokerage carries: a criminal spoofs an agent's or title company's email, sends your buyer "updated wire instructions," and a six-figure closing wire is gone — usually the same day, and rarely recovered. It becomes an E&O claim, a brokerage-liability question, and a client who tells everyone they know. Title companies and lenders increasingly require proof your email is locked down before they'll work closely with you. Tick each box you can honestly say yes to — score 1 point each.

MFA on every email account

Technical

Multi-factor authentication is on for every agent's email — no exceptionsEmail is the entry point for nearly every wire-fraud scheme. One password-only inbox is the whole risk.Most common gap

Email authentication (SPF / DKIM / DMARC)

Technical

Your domain has SPF, DKIM, and an enforced DMARC policy to stop spoofingThis is what stops a criminal from sending mail that looks like it came from your brokerage. It's also what lenders/title companies now check.Most common gap

A written wire-verification procedure

Required

Every wire instruction is verbally verified on a known, pre-saved phone number — never a number from the emailAnd clients are warned, in writing, at the start of the transaction that instructions will never change by email alone.

Documented staff wire-fraud training

Administrative

Everyone who touches a transaction completed wire-fraud / phishing awareness training this yearWith a record you could show your E&O carrier. Agents are the ones who spot — or miss — the fake.

Encryption & secure document sharing

Technical

Contracts, IDs, and financial documents move through a secure portal — encrypted in transit and at restNot plain email attachments. Devices and cloud storage holding client data are encrypted too.

A written information-security policy

Administrative

A short written policy documents how your brokerage protects client data and handles wiresThe document a title partner, lender, or auditor asks to see. "We're careful" isn't a policy.

Vendor & platform oversight

Administrative

Your transaction-management, e-sign, and cloud-storage vendors are vetted for securityTheir breach is your breach. You've confirmed they protect the client data you hand them.

Tested backups + an incident-response plan

Required

Backups are tested, and a written plan covers who you call and how you notify if a wire is divertedThe first hour after a fraudulent wire decides whether any of it is recoverable.Often missing

What's at stake — put it on the ledger. This isn't a hypothetical.

A diverted closing wire — frequently six figures, frequently unrecoverable, often uninsured.
An E&O claim and brokerage liability — plus the client lawsuit that can follow.
Lost referral relationships — title companies and lenders quietly stop sending business to a brokerage that can't show it's protected.

Self-Assessment Score

Checked items

__ / 8

MFA + DMARC on email?

Yes / No

Date completed

___________

8 / 8Rare. Your brokerage is genuinely defensible — and you can prove it to a title partner on request. Keep training current.
5–7Partially covered — but the gaps are exactly the ones criminals exploit and that a lender screens for. Usually a few days of work to close.
2–4Typical, and exposed. A single diverted wire would land squarely in one of these gaps. Fixable, but it needs a real plan.
0–1High risk. If a fraudulent wire hits today, there's no defensible position. This should be the priority.

Closing the gaps without becoming an IT expert. Items 1, 2, 5, 7 and 8 are exactly what a managed security provider delivers as a package — the controls and the proof you can hand a title partner — for a fixed $99/computer a month plus $75/month for the documented security program (about $370/month for a 3-person office), against a downside measured in a single closing wire. Scored below 8? Book a 15-minute gap review — no system access; we work from your answers.

The 8-Point Wire-Fraud &Data-Security Check for Brokerages

The 8-Point Wire-Fraud &
Data-Security Check for Brokerages