Florida’s real estate market is red hot, and this week I issued a Consumer Alert to encourage Floridians who are looking to purchase a new home to watch out for real estate scams.

One of the most common real estate scams is escrow wire fraud. This fraud occurs when scammers pose as representatives of a title or escrow company and contact a new homebuyer with instructions about where to wire large down payments. If they succeed, these scammers can make off with thousands of dollars—leaving the buyer scrambling to find enough money to make the actual down payment.

To avoid falling for escrow fraud, always check the original documents you received directly from your lender and call the phone number listed on the document to confirm the validity of the wiring instructions.

Floridians should be wary of any email, text message or phone call requesting a change to wiring instructions you have already received—confirm the account number with your bank or lender before wiring any money.

To learn about real estate scams and how to avoid them, go to MyFloridaLegal.com/ConsumerAlert. You can report scam to my office by calling 1(866) 9NO-SCAM or by visiting MyFloridaLegal.com.

By watching out for real estate scams, and reporting fraud to my office, you can help us build a Stronger, Safer Florida.