Transferring deposit to solicitor

LuckyG

glentoran99 wrote: »

You can do Chaps online, Well at least you can with my bank

I'll have a read around that, thank you

LuckyG

jimbog wrote: »

You could always send a token amount (say £1) first and then ring the solicitors to see if they have received it before sending £39999

That's a good idea also, thanks.

Fosterdog

eddddy wrote: »

As explained in post #19 - the risk is that email may have come from a scammer, and not your solicitor.


There are examples where scammers have apparently hacked into solicitors' email accounts to get names and email addresses of their clients - and then the scammers sent emails to the clients with payment instructions, with the scammer's sort code and account number.


Edit to add...

I imagine that solicitors systems can be a very lucrative target for hackers. If you can trick just one client into paying into the 'wrong' account, you might make £50k or more.

But surely the same scammers could also send the same details via post? A letter head is very easy to falsify. If the solicitors systems are so easily hacked then there will be a lot more information available to any scammers. The only way around it would be everyone having to go into branch and have it printed in front of them on letter headed paper but even then a rogue employee would have access to that and could still carry out the same scam.

I'm not saying that what you are saying is false, I do believe you and have heard of the scams but it's not emails themselves that are the weak link in the scam it would be overall security.

Although saying that through my job I could easily list over a hundred local businesses that I would never deal with on a personal level from seeing how poor their security is and how they don't see IT security as important. Even when I've explained things to them and found them solutions incredibly cheaply but they still refuse as little as £10 a year to have even basic protection. Worst one being a financial advisor who I have to clean up his system from viruses at least once a year and that computer has his entire client base and all of their details on it :eek:

eddddy

Fosterdog wrote: »

But surely the same scammers could also send the same details via post?

Yes - that's exactly what I said in post#19.

As I also said in post#19, you can follow up with a phone call to the solicitors (on a number you trust), to confirm the details.


FWIW, if an employee of the solicitor is a fraudster and gives you fake details on behalf of the solicitor, that is likely to be the solicitor's problem not yours. The solicitor will have been defrauded by their employee.

glentoran99

LuckyG wrote: »

Yes, I'm going to go into Nationwide and do it in one go via CHAPS.

you can do chaps online with nationwide that's my bank

Linton

glentoran99 wrote: »

you can do chaps online with nationwide that's my bank

For £40K+ ? Many online accounts have a maximum/day for money transfers.

TBagpuss

LuckyG wrote: »

I spoke to my solicitor, she gave me the details over the phone. It was clear and I read them back to her.

Will I need to actually go to my solicitors office to get them?

No, but if the details are wrong then you have no proof it was their error not yours. That's why it's generally best to get them in writing.

House buyers and their solicitors are prime targets for scammers so most savvy solicitors won't give out, or accept, bank details by e-mail, or will require them to be verified directly.

LuckyG

It's all done, I phoned my solicitor again regarding her sending me the bank details by post. She informed me that she had sent me the bank details when I received my welcome pack containing the terms and conditions.

I eventually found it in amongst all my paperwork and my deposit is now fully paid.
It's a weird feeling to be poor again but nice that we're another step closer to getting the keys.

I went into Nationwide to do it as I need a new card reader, however it ended up being done via my online account anyway using a card reader in branch.
It was only a £20 charge too which was less than I thought.

Thanks for the advice

glentoran99

Linton wrote: »

For £40K+ ? Many online accounts have a maximum/day for money transfers.

Your thinking of normal bacs transfer

"CHAPS Limit


Providing there are sufficient cleared funds available to cover your transaction and fees, there is no minimum or maximum transfer limit"

G_M

Fosterdog wrote: »

My solicitor sent the details in an email, I don't quite get why security would be an issue when they are only providing an account number and sort code. .

There have been a number of cases where fraudsters have intercepted emails (don't ask me how but it can be done) nd then altered the account details.

Buyer then transfers money to the fraudsters account, they move it on and vanish.See

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/borrowing/mortgages/11605010/Fraudsters-hacked-emails-to-my-solicitor-and-stole-340000-from-my-property-sale.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/another-homebuyer-loses-67k-solicitors-fail-warn-email-fraud/