Conveyancing fraud has emerged as a significant threat to UK property buyers during the final stages of home purchases. The scam involves criminals gaining access to email communications between homebuyers and their solicitors or estate agents, then requesting payment to bank accounts under their control. Fraudsters may achieve this access through hacking a solicitor’s email account or by targeting homebuyers with phishing attacks. The scheme has earned the nickname “Friday afternoon fraud” because perpetrators typically time their requests for the end of a sale, frequently before a weekend when verification may be more difficult.
The financial scale of these crimes makes them attractive to fraudsters. Report Fraud recorded 3,657 scams involving misdirected bank account payments during the 2025-26 financial year, with total losses reaching £101 million. Within the broader category of property-related conveyancing fraud specifically, authorities documented 140 cases between April 2024 and March 2025, with an average loss per victim of £78,393. In extreme cases, homebuyers have transferred entire purchase prices—as much as £300,000—to fraudulent accounts. The City of London police has noted that this type of fraud extends beyond property purchases to rental transactions and probate matters.
Fraudulent messages typically mimic legitimate communications from solicitors or estate agents, requesting payments that recipients are already expecting to make but may arrive sooner than anticipated. Messages sometimes falsely claim that the solicitor’s firm has changed bank details and require immediate payment. While messages from hacked accounts may originate from genuine email addresses, fraudsters often use spoofed addresses with subtle differences such as missing letters or extra punctuation marks that can be difficult to spot.
Experts recommend several protective measures for homebuyers. Individuals should avoid discussing impending moves on social media to reduce visibility to potential fraudsters. Email account security should be strengthened through complex passwords and two-factor authentication where available. Homebuyers should also refrain from accessing email through public wifi networks. When bank details are needed, buyers should request them directly via phone calls they initiate rather than relying on email communications. Any claims about changed bank details warrant verification through direct contact with the solicitor’s office. Banks often provide alerts when account names do not match expected recipients, and such warnings should prompt immediate verification before proceeding with transfers. Anyone who believes they have made a fraudulent transfer should contact their bank immediately.
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