How do Ontario real estate lawyers guard against wire fraud when sending closing funds?

Real estate wire fraud usually works by intercepting email communication and sending convincing but fake instructions to redirect money at the last moment, so Ontario lawyers build verification steps around every large transfer rather than relying on email alone. A core practice is confirming account and wire details by phone, using a number obtained independently of the email itself, such as one already on file or found through the law firm's own website, rather than any number supplied in the message being verified.

Firms also treat any last-minute change to wire instructions as a red flag deserving extra scrutiny, since fraudsters typically strike right before closing when a transfer is expected and everyone is moving quickly. Internally, lawyers follow trust accounting practices required of Ontario licensees, including controls over who can authorize a transfer out of trust. Clients are usually asked to independently verify the firm's trust account details before sending anything, rather than treating a single email as sufficient authority to wire hundreds of thousands of dollars. These layered checks do not make fraud impossible, but they close off the easiest way it succeeds.