The Kent County Sheriff Office is reporting a fraud involving a large dollar amount wire transaction and added a caution urging citizens to use caution and make multiple inquiries, either in person or by telephone, before making large value wire transactions.

The victims in this case were in the process of purchasing a new home and were scheduled to close on the home in the upcoming days.  They received an email which appeared to be from their bank and one from their builder requesting their down payment be sent by wire rather than bringing a cashier’s check with them to closing. The email appeared to be legitimate and included information such as the address of the home they were purchasing, file number, and their builder’s information.

The victims wired approximately $180,000 to what they believed was the title office. The receiving bank of the wired funds fortunately felt the wire transfer was suspicious and contacted the victim to question it. After realizing the wire transfer destination was fraudulent, the victim contacted the sheriff’s office for help.

Make every effort to contact your builder, realtor, Title Company, and closing office prior to engaging in any transactions not made in person. The stress of purchasing new homes and wanting transactions to go smoothly can make people more susceptible to these scams.

If you feel you have become a victim, it is important to contact law enforcement as soon as possible because there are times the wire transfers can be stopped.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the sheriff’s office at 616-632-6100.