Buying a home is one of the biggest financial milestones in your life.
It’s exciting. Emotional. Stressful.
And increasingly: a prime target for cybercriminals.
Just ask Chris.
After years of saving and side hustling, Chris finally had enough to put down a deposit on his first apartment. He did everything by the book: worked with a solicitor, exchanged emails, double-checked the paperwork.
Then, just before the final payment was due, he received a message from his solicitor’s email address:
The timing felt right. The tone was spot on. The signature was perfect.
But it wasn’t real.
A scammer had hacked the email thread and inserted themselves into the conversation: ready to intercept the deposit.
Chris nearly transferred his life savings into a criminal’s account.
His boss, David Levinson, wasn’t much help either. ("Have you tried turning off your WiFi?")
Criminals are now targeting the moments where the most money moves.
And there’s no bigger wire transfer for most people than a property purchase.
These scams are called Conveyancing Fraud or Deposit Redirection Attacks, and they rely on one thing:
Trusting what you see in your inbox.
Scammers hack, spoof, or intercept legitimate email threads between buyers, solicitors, and estate agents.
They then send updated bank details: hoping the victim won’t second-guess the change.
Here’s what we teach in our goDeep awareness training, and what saved Chris:
1. Never trust new bank details sent via email.
→ Always confirm changes directly over the phone using a trusted number, not one from the suspicious email.
2. Slow down: especially when money is involved.
→ Scammers thrive on urgency. If it feels rushed, it probably is.
3. Double-check email addresses.
→ Look closely for subtle changes (e.g. @lawfirm.co.uk → @lawflrm.co.uk).
4. Ask for a verification process at the start of the transaction.
→ Make it clear that any changes to banking details must be confirmed in writing and by phone.
At DCT Security, we don’t just talk about cyber threats: we show how they happen in the real world.
Our story-led security training platform, goDeep, helps people spot the signs of a scam before they become a victim: whether it’s a phishing email at work or a life-altering fraud at home.
Cybersecurity isn’t just an IT issue.
It’s a life skill.
🛡️ Want to protect your staff (and their savings)?
Let’s talk about how goDeep can help.
📩 Learn more at www.dctsecurity.com
🎥 Watch Chris’s story in our latest episode of Chris’ Scam List.
See how goDeep turns thinking like this into training your team will actually remember.