📘 Free Download

The Wire Fraud Defense Playbook your firm needs before the next fake wire instruction

One lookalike domain. One email to your office manager. $420,000 wired to a stranger's account. This playbook makes sure it doesn't happen to you.

13-page playbook — download instantly

Verify-Out-Of-Band protocol included

FBI IC3 clawback process inside

Playbook — 13 pages · 2026

What's inside the Wire Fraud Defense Playbook

🔗

The kill chain — recon to wire diverted, step by step

⚠️

5 BEC variants — attorney impersonation, title fraud, payroll diversion

🚩

Red flags checklist — 12 warning signs before you wire

✅

Verify-Out-Of-Band protocol — the single most effective defense

📋

Wire transfer controls — dual approval, callback, threshold limits

⏱

60-minute IR playbook — stop, call, report, contain

📄

Employee training script + 3 tabletop scenarios included

What's inside

4 things your firm will use immediately

The playbook isn't theory. Every section is designed to be used — by your office manager reviewing a last-minute wire instruction, by your finance team before approving a transfer, and by your whole team in the first 60 minutes of an incident.

⚠️

Spot the 5 BEC variants that target your industry specifically

Law firm trust account fraud, title company closing fraud, accounting firm vendor invoice swap, payroll diversion, and executive impersonation — with the exact red flags for each.

✅

Copy-paste the Verify-Out-Of-Band Protocol your team will actually use

6-step verification process for any wire instruction change. Works for law firm trust accounts, real estate closings, payroll, and vendor payments.

📋

Wire transfer controls checklist — dual approval, callback, threshold limits

Document what your firm needs to implement. Many cyber insurance policies require this documentation — it may be the difference between a claim being paid or denied.

🚨

First 60 minutes after a suspected wire fraud incident

If a wire goes wrong, every hour matters. The playbook gives you a minute-by-minute checklist — who to call, what to say, what to document, and when to involve the FBI.

How it works

From fake email to $420,000 gone in 4 hours

The playbook includes a fully anonymized teaching case from a 2026 law firm incident — one fake wire instruction email, one office manager who didn't have a verification protocol, one wire that vanished. Step-by-step kill chain breakdown inside.

Reconnaissance

Attackers scrape LinkedIn, deal sites, and county filings to learn active deals, client names, and closing dates.

Weeks before

Spoofed Sender

Lookalike domain (e.g., @lateralfunding-group.com) or compromised real email account.

Days before

Fake Instruction

"Wire instructions changed — new bank account due to routing update." Urgency always present.

Hours before wire

Pressure + Secrecy

"I'm in back-to-back meetings — please don't call. We need this today to close on time."

During wire window

Wire Diverted

Funds sent to mule account, moved through transit accounts within minutes.

Minutes after sent

Funds Gone

4 hours later, the trail is cold. FBI has a 72-hour clawback window — if you know to use it.

4+ hours

The attacks in detail

5 BEC variants targeting professional services firms

These five variants account for 83% of all wire fraud losses against law firms, accounting firms, real estate brokerages, and title companies. Each is described with its red flags and who it targets.

1. Attorney Impersonation / Fake Client

Attacker poses as a real estate developer or business owner using a lookalike domain. Request is urgent — last-minute change to wire instructions. Funds go to a mule account.

Targets: Real estate law firms, M&A attorneys

2. Title Company / Escrow Fraud

Attacker impersonates the title company sending "updated wire instructions" days or hours before closing. The buyer wires to the attacker's account.

Targets: Title companies, escrow agents, real estate attorneys

3. Vendor Invoice Swap

Attacker impersonates a vendor (IT provider, office supplier) with a "new invoice" and updated payment instructions. The firm pays the fake invoice.

Targets: Accounting firms, law firms with AP teams

4. Payroll / HR Diversion

Attacker impersonates a senior executive and emails HR with "new direct deposit instructions." Next payroll run sends money to the attacker.

Targets: HR, payroll, finance at any organization

5. Law Firm Trust Account Fraud

Attacker targets the trust account directly — fake client instructions or impersonated escrow wire change. Law firm trust accounts hold large balances and move funds regularly.

Targets: Real estate attorneys, probate attorneys, escrow agents

Free download

Get the Wire Fraud Defense Playbook

Enter your work email and we'll send the 13-page PDF instantly — the kill chain, 5 BEC variants, Verify-Out-Of-Band protocol, wire transfer controls, and FBI IC3 clawback process.