--- title: "Deposit Email Fraud: How to Protect Yourself When Buying or Selling a Home | Lane Campos" description: A Thornton first-home buyer lost $34,200 to a fake deposit email. Here is how payment redirection scams work and how buyers and vendors can stay safe. image: https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hubfs/77HavelockSt-19.jpg --- [Lane Campos](https://lanecampos.com.au) - [Buy](https://lanecampos.com.au/buy) - [Property search](https://lanecampos.com.au/buy/property-search) - [Buying process](https://lanecampos.com.au/buy/buying-with-us) - [House hunting tips](https://lanecampos.com.au/buy/house-hunting-tips) - [Sell](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell) - [Recent sales](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell/recent-sales) - [Selling options](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell/selling-options) - [Selling tips](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell/selling-tips) - [Request appraisal](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell/request-appraisal) - [Our sales process](https://lanecampos.com.au/sell/our-sales-process) - [Lease](https://lanecampos.com.au/lease) - [Leased](https://lanecampos.com.au/lease/leased) - [Property management](https://lanecampos.com.au/lease/property-management) - [Why us?](https://lanecampos.com.au/why-us) - [Our team](https://lanecampos.com.au/our-team) - [News](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/news) - [Contact](https://lanecampos.com.au/contact) [phone 02 4967 6770](tel:+61249676770) [facebook](https://business.facebook.com/lanecamposproperty) [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/lanecamposproperty) # Deposit Email Fraud: How to Protect Yourself When Buying or Selling a Home 27 OCTOBER 2026 ![](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hubfs/77HavelockSt-19.jpg) Buying or selling a home involves large payments, tight deadlines and a lot of email. That combination is exactly what scammers look for. A recent Newcastle Herald report on a Thornton first-home buyer who lost more than $34,000 is a timely reminder for every buyer and vendor in our region. ## What happened According to the Newcastle Herald, the buyer was one day from the end of her cooling-off period on a townhouse purchase when she received an email and a text message that appeared to come from a clerk at her conveyancer. The messages asked her to pay the balance of her deposit into the conveyancer's trust account before cooling-off expired. The messages included the property address and a reference code similar to one she had been given before, which made them look genuine. She transferred $34,200 to the bank details provided and received a confirmation text. The next day, the listing agency contacted her to arrange the deposit, and that is when she realised she had been scammed. Her bank could not reverse the payment because it had already gone through, and police are investigating. The report also says another buyer on the same property had been targeted by a similar scam earlier, but cancelled the transaction before any funds were sent. The report states there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by any of the parties involved. She was able to find the money to complete the purchase, but the experience took a heavy financial and emotional toll. ## Why property transactions are targeted A spokesperson for the National Anti-Scam Centre told the Herald that property deals are attractive to scammers because they involve large sums, sensitive personal information and payments that are often time-critical. Scamwatch has received reports of scammers posing as real estate agents, landlords, conveyancers, solicitors and financial institutions. The Herald also reported Scamwatch figures showing $166.8 million was lost to payment redirection scams in 2025 across all industries. A common version is the payment redirection scam, also known as business email compromise. A scammer imitates or intercepts messages from a legitimate service provider and gives the client the scammer's bank account details instead of the real ones. ![77HavelockSt-30 copy](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hs-fs/hubfs/77HavelockSt-30%20copy.jpg?width=1772&height=1184&name=77HavelockSt-30%20copy.jpg) ## What these scams can look like - An email or text that appears to come from your conveyancer, solicitor, agent or lender. - Real details about your transaction, such as the property address, your name and a reference number. - A request to pay a deposit or fees, or a notice that bank details have changed. - Pressure to act quickly, often around cooling-off or settlement dates. ## How to protect yourself 1. **Never pay on the strength of an email or text alone.** Treat any message that contains payment details, or changes them, as unverified until you have confirmed it another way. 2. **Call to verify, using a number you already trust.** Use the phone number on your contract, your original paperwork or the firm's official website. Do not use a number from the message itself. 3. **Check the details out loud.** Confirm the account name, BSB and account number with the person you are paying before you send funds. If your bank offers account name checking, use it, but do not rely on it alone. 4. **Be most careful when you feel rushed.** Deadlines like the end of cooling-off or settlement day are when scammers apply pressure. A genuine provider will not mind you taking a few minutes to verify. 5. **Agree on the process early.** At the start of your transaction, ask your agent and conveyancer how and when deposit and payment details will be provided, and how any changes will be confirmed. Then you will know what is normal. 6. **Protect your accounts.** Use strong, unique passwords and multi-factor authentication on your email, and be cautious about links and attachments you were not expecting. ## If you think you have been scammed - Contact your bank straight away and ask them to try to recall the payment. Speed matters. - Tell your conveyancer or solicitor and your agent so they can help and warn others. - Report it to police through ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) and to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au). - Consider contacting IDCARE (idcare.org), Australia and New Zealand's free identity and cyber support service, if your personal information may be at risk. - Look after yourself. Being scammed during a major life purchase is distressing, and it is okay to ask family, friends or a health professional for support. ## Vendors and landlords, this applies to you too Scammers also target sellers, for example by impersonating a buyer's representative or asking to change where sale proceeds are sent. The same rule applies: confirm any payment or bank detail change by phone, using a contact you already know.   *Source: Newcastle Herald, "'I couldn't trust anyone': $34k conveyancing scam hits buyer", by Josh Leeson, updated 14 October 2026. [Read the original report](https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/9366558/thornton-first-home-buyer-loses-34k-in-deposit-email-fraud/).* *This article is general information only and is not legal or financial advice. For advice on your transaction, speak with your solicitor or conveyancer.* [← Back to news](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/news) ## Recent news ## [![](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hubfs/77HavelockSt-19.jpg) Deposit Email Fraud: How to Protect Yourself When Buying or Selling a Home Read more →](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/news/deposit-email-fraud-protect-yourself) ## [![](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hubfs/BLOG-20DelandoSt-32.jpg) Selling in Waratah, Waratah West and Georgetown (2298) Read more →](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/news/sell-waratah-waratah-west-georgetown-2298) ## [![](https://news.lanecampos.com.au/hubfs/SOM%20Jun%20Jul%202026%20LaneCampos..png) Is Newcastle’s Property Market Starting to Shift? 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