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First, stop contact and identify what was exposed
Do not reply to the scammer, click more links, follow new payment instructions, or use a phone number or website they provided. A person who has already impersonated a lender, loan officer, closing agent, or government agency may continue the deception by posing as a bank investigator or recovery specialist.
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Write down what happened while it is fresh: what you shared, when and how you shared it, whom you spoke with, and whether money moved. Keep emails, texts, call details, payment receipts, and account alerts. These records can help the affected institution investigate and support reports to authorities. Do not delete messages or documents simply because they are embarrassing.
Make a short exposure list before calling institutions. Include the specific information and accounts involved: for example, a bank login, a card number, an SSN, a one-time verification code, a wire transfer, or a mortgage application. You do not need to determine whether the scammer has used the information before reporting it. Tell the institution what was disclosed and ask its fraud or security team what action it recommends for that account.
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Take the action that matches what the scammer received
If you sent money or received wire instructions
- Call the bank, wire-transfer company, or payment provider that sent the money using a trusted number from a statement or its independently verified official website.
- Report the transfer as fraudulent and ask whether it can be stopped, recalled, or reversed. Give the institution the amount, date, recipient details, and any transaction reference you have.
- If the scam involved mortgage closing funds, also file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recommends in its mortgage closing scam handout.
- Contact the legitimate lender, title or closing professional, or other party involved in the transaction through previously verified contact details. Explain that the instructions or payment may have been fraudulent and ask how to confirm the real transaction status.
Speed matters because the sending institution may have a chance to intervene, but a stop or recovery is not guaranteed. Do not send more money to someone who says an additional payment is needed to reverse the transfer, secure the funds, or prove your identity. CFPB guidance warns that real government agencies and financial institutions do not ask people to move money to “protect it.”
If you shared a password, login, or verification code
Change an exposed password promptly, using the institution’s genuine website or app. If you reused that password elsewhere, change it on every account where it appears. Contact the institution if you gave away login details or a verification code; a code can help a scammer authenticate as you, so treat its disclosure as an account-security issue even if you did not share your password.
When contacting the institution, say plainly that a scammer may have your credentials or code and ask the fraud or security team to secure the account and review recent activity. Use contact information you find independently, not a phone number in a suspicious message or a caller’s instructions. Watch for transactions or account changes you do not recognize and report them to the institution.
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If you shared your Social Security number or other identity information
If you gave a scammer your SSN, use IdentityTheft.gov. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) directs people whose SSN was exposed to this service; CFPB says it can produce an Identity Theft Report and a recovery plan. Follow the plan for the exposure you reported rather than assuming one generic step covers every account or form of information.
If the scammer received other personal details, such as information from a mortgage application, tell the relevant lender or institution what was disclosed and ask its security team how it will protect the application or account. Identity theft and account takeover are not the same problem: a credit-file measure may help with some attempts to open new credit, but it will not secure an existing bank or lender login.
If you shared a card number or bank-account details
Contact the card issuer or bank through a verified channel and explain exactly which details were disclosed. Ask the institution to secure the affected account and review recent activity. A scammer may use payment details without having your online password, so do not wait for an unfamiliar transaction to appear before reporting exposure.
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If you shared only contact details
Contact details alone do not establish that an account has been accessed or that identity theft has occurred. Still, expect possible follow-up attempts that use the mortgage conversation to sound convincing. Do not provide additional information to an inbound caller or message sender; independently contact the real lender or professional if you need to verify a loan, payment, or closing issue.
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Choose a credit freeze or fraud alert if identity exposure makes it appropriate
A security freeze and a fraud alert are both free options described by CFPB, but they work differently. A freeze restricts access to your credit file and must be placed separately with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. A fraud alert asks creditors to take extra steps to verify your identity; contacting one of the three nationwide credit bureaus can trigger notice to the others.
| Protection | What it does | Where you request it | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security freeze | Blocks new creditors from accessing your credit file. | Contact Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion separately. | Does not prevent takeover of existing accounts. |
| Fraud alert | Asks creditors to take extra steps to verify identity. | Contact one of the three nationwide credit bureaus; it can notify the others. | It is not a substitute for securing exposed account credentials or contacting affected institutions. |
These tools address risks involving access to a credit file; they do not resolve a fraudulent wire, protect a compromised email or bank login, or replace reporting an exposed SSN to IdentityTheft.gov. Choose based on the exposure and the protection you need. If you place a freeze, remember that you must contact each bureau yourself.
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Report the mortgage scam to the appropriate agencies
- Identity theft or SSN exposure: Report it at IdentityTheft.gov and use the recovery steps provided there.
- Fraud or a scam: Submit a report to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC’s mortgage relief scam guidance also identifies the FTC and your state attorney general as reporting options for suspected mortgage relief fraud.
- Mortgage closing wire fraud: File with IC3, as CFPB’s closing scam handout directs.
- Other reporting options: CFPB identifies the FBI, your state attorney general, and local police as possible places to report a scam or fraud. Which report is appropriate depends on what occurred.
Reporting does not guarantee recovery of money or resolve an account dispute by itself. Keep confirmation numbers or copies of reports with your records, and give them to the relevant bank or institution if requested. If you are unsure which agency fits the incident, begin with the financial institution that handled the account or transfer and the relevant FTC reporting service.
Recognize the mortgage scam pattern without assuming your real lender was breached
Mortgage relief or foreclosure-rescue pitches
A scammer may promise a loan modification, foreclosure rescue, or other help with a mortgage problem. The FTC’s mortgage relief scam guidance flags demands for payment methods that can be hard to recover. If you paid or shared information, contact the payment provider and the real mortgage servicer through independently verified contact information; do not rely on the supposed rescuer to communicate with either one for you.
Closing-instruction changes
A closing scam may send false instructions that divert funds from the intended recipient. If instructions or account details changed unexpectedly, verify them by contacting the closing professional using a number you already trust or independently confirmed—not by replying to the message that announced the change. CFPB’s handout states: “Email is never a secure way to send sensitive financial or personal information.”
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Impersonation and recovery scams
A mortgage scam does not by itself prove that the legitimate lender or servicer has been compromised. Verify the status of your application, payment, or closing directly with the real institution or professional. Scammers may also impersonate a bank, the FTC, CFPB, or law enforcement after the initial contact. A caller who requests payment or more sensitive information to recover funds or protect an account may be another scammer; hang up and call the relevant organization using a trusted number.
Keep the response organized
Because several institutions may need to act, keep a simple incident record. Note when you called, which official number or website you used, the department you reached, any case or report reference, and what the representative said would happen. Record each exposed account or piece of information separately so that a password disclosure is not confused with a wire transfer or an SSN exposure.
- Save communications and transaction records in a place you can access without using an account you believe is compromised.
- Keep a list of institutions contacted and any follow-up they requested.
- Check the affected accounts for unfamiliar activity and report it directly to the institution.
- Use independently verified contact details for every follow-up, including calls claiming to be from an agency or financial institution.
CFPB’s identity-theft guidance was last reviewed July 30, 2026, and its guidance on scam and fraud contacts was last reviewed August 28, 2026. Agency recommendations provide a starting point; the specific steps and available remedies may depend on the institution and, in some cases, state law.
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