with Jason Cline
Real estate wire fraud North Carolina buyers fall victim to almost never looks like a scam. It looks like a routine email from your closing attorney’s office, on the right letterhead, at exactly the moment you were expecting wiring instructions. You send the money. It’s gone in minutes. In Episode 012, attorney Jason Cline of Cline Donaldson and I get into how it works now — including the AI voice-cloning part that genuinely rattled me.
Buying a home is one of the biggest financial decisions of your life — and unfortunately, it’s also one of the biggest targets for fraud. In Episode 012, I sat down with Jason Cline, a seasoned real estate attorney at Cline Donaldson PLLC, to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed nearly enough: real estate scams, wire fraud, and seller impersonation — and exactly what you can do to protect yourself. Whether you’re a first-time buyer or a seasoned investor, this is a conversation you need to hear.
Hey friend — I’m Tabetha (Tabi) Klein, aka theILMrealtor. I help people buy and sell homes in Wilmington, North Carolina (and all over New Hanover, Brunswick, and Pender), and this one might be the most important episode we’ve done for protecting your money at closing.
Watch or listen: YouTube · Spotify · makingilmhome.com · @theILMrealtor
In this episode
Deepfake and AI scams are the new frontier.
Jason Cline, real estate attorney, Cline Donaldson
How real estate wire fraud North Carolina buyers face actually works
Wire fraud in real estate is alarmingly common. Typically, a scammer intercepts email communication between a buyer, their agent, and their title company, then sends fake wire instructions directing funds to a fraudulent account. By the time anyone realizes what happened, the money is gone — and recovering it is incredibly difficult.
Jason’s number one piece of advice? Always verify wire instructions by calling a trusted, known phone number before sending a single dollar. Don’t call the number listed in the email — call the number you already have saved for your title company or attorney. That one extra step can save you everything.
Other protections Jason recommends:
- Use a Certified Wire Transfer Verification Program through your closing attorney
- Require multi-factor verification for any wire transfer
- If something feels off about wire instructions — even slightly — stop and verify before proceeding
Seller Impersonation Fraud: A Growing Threat in NC
One of the most eye-opening parts of this conversation was Jason’s breakdown of seller impersonation fraud. Here’s how it works: a fraudster poses as the owner of a property (often a vacant lot or a home owned free and clear) and tries to sell it without the real owner ever knowing — creating fake IDs, signing fake documents, and pocketing the proceeds at closing. Remote transactions have made this even easier, which is why identity verification at closing has become more critical than ever, especially when a seller signs remotely or the property has no mortgage attached.
Red flags to watch for:
- A seller who is unwilling or unable to meet in person or via verified video
- Pressure to close quickly with minimal documentation
- Discrepancies in signatures, IDs, or contact information
Deepfakes, AI, and the New Frontier of Real Estate Fraud
Perhaps the most sobering part of the conversation was Jason’s warning that AI and deepfake technology are now being used in real estate fraud. Scammers can generate convincing fake documents, mimic voices, and even create video of fake “sellers.” As Jason put it: “Deepfake and AI scams are the new frontier.” The industry is working to catch up, but in the meantime, the best defense is a rigorous, process-driven approach to verification at every step.
Title Insurance: Your Safety Net
Jason also walked us through the importance of title insurance and how it plays into fraud protection. A clean title search can catch discrepancies before closing, and owner’s title insurance provides a layer of financial protection if a claim arises after the fact. If you’re buying in North Carolina, you can also use the NC Register of Deeds to independently verify ownership records for extra peace of mind.
How to verify wire instructions before you send a dollar
This is the part to save, screenshot, and send to anyone you know who is closing soon. It takes five minutes and it is the whole ballgame.
- Get the closing attorney’s phone number at the start of the transaction, from their website or from me — and write it down somewhere that isn’t email.
- When wiring instructions arrive, do not call the number in that email. Not the signature block, not the letterhead, not the “call to verify” line. If the email is fake, so is the number.
- Call the number you wrote down in step one and read the account and routing numbers back digit by digit.
- Treat any change in instructions as fraud until proven otherwise. Legitimate firms almost never change wiring details mid-transaction. An urgent “our account has changed” email is the single loudest red flag there is.
- Be suspicious of urgency. Pressure to send immediately is a technique, not a coincidence.
- After you send, call and confirm receipt the same day. Minutes matter enormously in recovery.
The CFPB has a good consumer-facing write-up of this exact scam, including what recovery looks like: the CFPB’s warning about mortgage closing wire fraud scams.
If you think it already happened
Move fast and don’t spend time being embarrassed — these are sophisticated operations and smart people get hit. Call your bank immediately and ask for a wire recall. Call the closing attorney. Report it to the FBI at ic3.gov. Recovery is possible, and it is overwhelmingly a function of how quickly the recall starts.
The free thing every homeowner should set up
Most county Registers of Deeds offer free property fraud alerts that notify you if a document is recorded against your property. It costs nothing and takes a couple of minutes: New Hanover County, Pender County, and Brunswick County each run one.
Pair it with an owner’s title policy, which is the backstop when something was already wrong before you ever owned the place — Episode 008 covers exactly what it protects. And for how ownership itself gets tangled over generations, Episode 013 on heirs property is the sequel to this one.
Questions about protecting your closing
How do I verify wiring instructions are real?
Call the closing attorney at a number you obtained independently at the start of the transaction — never the number in the email with the instructions — and read the account and routing numbers back digit by digit.
Can I get my money back after a wire fraud?
Sometimes, and it depends almost entirely on speed. Call your bank for a wire recall immediately, call the closing attorney, and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.
What is seller impersonation fraud?
Someone poses as the owner of a property — often vacant land or a rental — and tries to sell or borrow against it. Real estate wire fraud North Carolina professionals see now includes AI-assisted versions of this.
About our guest: Jason Cline (Cline Donaldson)
Jason Cline is an attorney with Cline Donaldson PLLC in Wilmington. He completed high school and his undergraduate studies in Alaska before attending law school in Arkansas, and is admitted to practice in Arkansas and North Carolina as well as the Middle and Eastern District Federal Courts. His practice focuses heavily on real estate and business development, and he has handled thousands of real estate transactions ranging from small land deals to multi-million dollar development projects. He is a member of the New Hanover County Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Association, and previously served as a Senior Adviser to the Arkansas Secretary of State. He is also a Captain and company commander in the North Carolina Army National Guard.
Website: clinedonaldson.com
Closing soon and want someone watching your back?
If you’re buying in Wilmington, I’ll make sure you have the closing attorney’s real phone number before wiring instructions ever show up, and I’ll say it out loud again the week of closing. Call or text 910-983-8963, or start with my guide to buying a home in Wilmington, NC.
Tabetha Klein, REALTOR® | Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage | 910-983-8963 | makingilmhome.com | @theILMrealtor
This episode is for general education and local insight, not legal advice. Fraud tactics change constantly and nothing here guarantees protection — always verify wiring instructions independently and consult a licensed North Carolina attorney about your situation. Guest appearances are editorial and are not paid endorsements. Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. Each office is independently owned and operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.