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65 DEGREES.
IF YOU'RE BUYING OR SELG A
HOME, YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT A
GROWING SCAM THAT COULD DERAIL
YOUR DEAL AND STEAL YOUR MONEY.
THIS CYBER CRIME HAS BECOME SO
BIG, THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
REALTORS ISSUED A FRAUD ALERT
ABOUT IT.
2 INVESTIGATOR PAM ZECKMAN IS
HERE TO TELL US PRECISELY HOW IT
WORKS CHL PAM.
ROB, THESE FRAUD STERS HACK
INTO SOMEONE'S COMPUTER INVOLVED
IN A REAL ESTATE PURCHASE AND
INTERJECT THEMSELVES INTO THE
DEAL.
AS A RESULT, ONE VIEWER WIRED
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
TO THE HACKER'S BANK ACCOUNT.
I WAS FREAKING OUT.
I WAS CHOKING BACK TEARS.
I WAS TERRIFIED.
HUGE AMOUNT OF MONEY.
COULD NOT ERROR FROM SOMETHING
-- RECOVER
FROM SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
SHE COULD HAVE LOST MORE THAN
$800,000 SHE RECENTLY PAID FOR
THIS CONDO THAT SHE SHARES WITH
HER BOYFRIEND.
IT'S CRAZY.
I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE
DOING, AND I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW
EASY IT IS FOR THEM TO DO.
SO EASY, JESSICA EDGERTON, AN
ATTORNEY WITH THE NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS,
AUTHORED THIS FRAUD WARNING.
WHY ARE YOU ALERTING EVERYONE
TO THIS FRAUD?
IN RECENT MONTHS, THERE'S
REALLY BEEN AN UPSWING IN THIS
INSIDOUS SCAM.
THIS IS REAL.
THESE ARE VERY SOPHISTICATED
CRIMINALS.
HERE IS HOW SHE SAYS THEY DO
IT.
ACCESSING E-MAILS SENT FROM FREE
WISHGS-FI LOCATIONS.
IT WAS SPECIFICALLY TARGET
PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE REAL
ESTATE INDUSTRY, AND SO THAT
WAY, THEY CAN SULK IN THE
BACKGROUND, WATCHING ALL THIS
INFORMATION GO BACK AND FORTH.
WHEN IT'S TIME TO WIRE THE
MONEY, THE FRAUD STERS WILL
CREATE AN E-MAIL VERY SIMILAR TO
SOMEONE INVOLVED IN THE
NEGOTIATIONS LIKE THE ATTORNEYS
OR REALTORS.
FOR EXAMPLE, INSTEAD OF
PZECKMAN@CBS.COM.
THEY'LL CHANGE IT TO
P.ZEKMAN@GMAIL.COM.
THAT CAN REALLY BE MISTAKEN FOR
THE REAL E-MAIL ADDRESS.
HEY, THERE'S BEEN A
LAST-MINUTE CHANGE.
THIS IS THE NEW BANKING/WIRING
INSTRUCTIONS.
CON FRACHLATIONS, EVERYBODY,
YAY, SEND IT HERE.
SEND WHAT?
THE MONEY.
FOLLOWED WIRING INSTRUCTIONS
THAT CAME FROM AN E-MAIL ADDRESS
THAT LOOKED SIMILAR TO THE
SERL'S ATTORNEY.
BUT NOT REALLY.
NOT REALLY.
IT WAS THE HACKER.
WHEN SHE REALIZED THAT.
I STOOD UP, AND I SAID, "OH
MY GOD.
THIS IS A SCAM."
HER BOYFRIEND, CHIP GOR,
FIGURED OUT WHERE THE FRAUDULENT
E-MAIL CAME FROM.
CHECK SLO --
IF SHE HADN'T ACTED FAST.
I NEVER WOULD HAVE SEEN THAT
MONEY AGAIN.
BUYERS COULD LOSE DOWN
PAYMENTS.
10 THOUSAND, 50 THOUSAND.
THE WORST REPORTED CASE.
HALF A MILLION DOLLARS BEING
WIRED.
THE MONEY ACTUALLY GETS SENT.
THE BANK ACCOUNT GETS CLEARED
OUT, AND THE PERSON DISAPPEARS
INTO THE ETHER FOREVER.
SO HOW CAN YOU PROTECT
YOURSELF?
EDGERTON SAYS DON'T TRUST WIRING
STRUSHGSS THAT COME IN AN
E-MAIL.
CALL THE SELLER, THE BROKER, OR
THE ATTORNEYS TO VERIFY WHERE
THE MONEY SHOULD BE SENT, AND IF
THE WIRE INCLUDES THE
WORDS "SWIFT WIRE," THAT'S A
CLUE YOUR MONEY IS BEING MAILED
OVERSEAS.
ROB.
SO MS. GRUBER ACTED QUICKLY,
YOU SAID, AND DIDN'T LOSE HER
MONEY.
WHAT DID SHE HAVE TO DO IN A
PERIOD -- WAS IT A PERIOD OF
MINUTES, HOUR SNS
IN A FEW HOURS, SHE SAID SHE
MADE ABOUT 50 PHONE CALLS AND
WOUND UP BEING ABLE TO CONVINCE
THE BANK THAT HAD RECEIVED THE
MONEY TO FREEZE THE MONEY.
SHE CONVINCED THEM THAT SHE HAD
BEEN DEFRAUDED BEFORE THEY SENT
IT TO THE ACCOUNT HOLDER WHO WAS
OVERSEAS.
THAT WAS A CLOSE CALL.
VERY CLOSE CALL.
VERY FEW PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO STOP
IT ONCE THAT HAPPENS, AND YOU
REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS
BECAUSE THEY NEVER CATCH THESE
GUYS SO THEY SAY YOU HAVE TO
EDUCATE.
THEY WANT THE MEDIA TO EDUCATE