These three guides cover a land or small business deal on either side of the payment. Two cover the checks a buyer can run before anything is signed or paid. The third covers the first hour after a wire goes to the wrong account, when the sending bank can still ask for a recall and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's complaint center may be able to help freeze the money.
What the three guides follow
The seller guide starts with a federal case from Palm Beach County, Florida, where a group tried to sell vacant lots that belonged to other people and one member was sentenced to six years in 2025. It pairs the five warning signs in the Bureau's June 2026 alert with a check for each.
The verification guide covers the rest of the people and papers on a deal: a company and who may sign for it, a proof of funds letter, a cashier's check, a title agent, an attorney, a notary. Each is checked through a source the other side cannot edit. A proof of funds letter, for example, counts once the bank confirms it on a call to the number on the bank's own website.
The incident guide covers the calls and reports after a bad wire. It starts with the two steps the complaint center puts first: the sending bank's fraud line, then a complaint at ic3.gov.
The checklist that goes with them
The counterparty verification checklist goes with all three guides. The sheet has a line for each check, with room for where and when it was made, since a title company, a bank or an investigator may later ask what was confirmed and on which day.
What the guides do not replace
The title company searches the record and insures the title. The closing attorney advises on the contract under the law of the state where the deal happens. A wire recall goes through the sending bank.
Reading path
- How seller impersonation fraud works on vacant land
How a fake owner sells land they do not own, and the checks on the county record that catch it before money moves.
- How to verify who you are dealing with before money moves
The registries, regulators and bank lookups that check a seller, a company or a buyer's money through sources the other side cannot edit.
- The first hour after a wire goes to the wrong account
The calls and reports that follow a wire sent to a fraudster, starting with the two steps federal guidance puts first.
Worksheets for this guide
- Counterparty verification checklist
A printable checklist for checking a seller, a company and the money before signing or paying, with room to record each source.