Action 9 has a warning for local homebuyers and sellers after cyber criminals scammed an Orange County woman out of $10,000 the day she was buying a house.
Action 9's Todd Ulrich first exposed the home hacking scheme last year, and since then, crooks stole millions of dollars from dozens of local victims.
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Belinda Kitchen was a first-time homebuyer, and now she is an internet hacking victim.
She had a contract to buy a home in Orange County. The day before closing, Kitchen thought she followed instructions from Orlando-based Premier Title. She wired $10,500 to the bank account from an email she received. But hours later, she got a chilling phone call. She was told that money never arrived.
“I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, we really just got ripped off,’ and I just started crying,” said Kitchen.
The email that had wiring instructions was sent from "barbara.premiertitlecfl@mail.com." The title company's actual email domain is "@premiertitlecfl.com."
So her $10,000 went right to the criminal’s bank account.
The cybercrooks hack into emails from realtors and title companies; from buyers and sellers, then use that stolen information to strike right before the sale.
In this case, the hackers knew everything about Kitchen’s closing. They even used a former employee's name at the title company.
“They knew where the house was, they knew the amount, everything,” said Kitchen.
In Central Florida alone, home-sale hackers strike with alarming success. According to the FBI, local losses totaled $25 million in 2016. That more than doubled to a $64 million loss in 2017. And just the first four months 2018, scammers stole $42 million.
"This is the most horrible thing you can imagine," said Marie Hammerling, who lost $35,000 to home scammers in 2017. She filed a lawsuit against the title company that wired the money, accusing it of negligence.
“Somebody obviously knew our inside information,” said Hammerling.
Contact Todd Ulrich and the Action 9 team
The FBI's special task force can freeze phony bank accounts if notified within the first 24 hours.
No one told Kitchen to call that day.
“Crushed. I was hurt. This is what my kids really wanted,” she said.
Premier Title did not respond to Action 9’s questions.
If you're a victim, notify your bank to recall the wire transfer, contact an FBI field office immediately, and file a complaint at ic3.gov, the government's internet crime complaint center.
FBI's response:
"This does appear to be the Business Email compromise scam since it involves a spoofed email sent to a victim involved in a financial transaction.
We are advising the public to take the following steps if they suspect they’ve been victimized:
We are advising the public to take the following steps if they suspect they’ve been victimized:
1) Contact their bank and request the bank recall the wire transfer.
2) Call the local FBI Field Office. Speak with an actual person in the office and advise they have been the victim of a business email compromise.
3) File a complaint with www.ic3.gov"
2) Call the local FBI Field Office. Speak with an actual person in the office and advise they have been the victim of a business email compromise.
3) File a complaint with www.ic3.gov"
Here are a few quick stats:
2016
Nationwide losses: $360 million
Central Florida losses: $25 million
Nationwide losses: $360 million
Central Florida losses: $25 million
2017
Nationwide losses: $676 million
Central Florida losses: $64 million
Nationwide losses: $676 million
Central Florida losses: $64 million
As of April 2018
Central Florida losses: $42 million
Central Florida losses: $42 million
Cox Media Group
