Governance
Protection Against Fraud
At ONE Residential Group we take safeguarding our clients against fraud extremely seriously. Property transactions involve significant sums of money and sensitive personal information, which can make buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants a target for criminals. This page explains how fraud — and in particular cyber-enabled fraud — typically works, and how we work with you to prevent it.
What is social engineering?
Most fraud committed against property clients takes place through social engineering — a technique that manipulates people into divulging confidential information or transferring money. Rather than “hacking” a computer, fraudsters exploit trust, urgency and human error. They will often impersonate a person or organisation you already deal with, such as your agent, solicitor, conveyancer or bank, to appear legitimate.
How fraudsters make contact
A fraudulent approach can come through any channel. The most common are:
Email (phishing)
Messages that mimic a genuine sender, often with links to fake login pages or requests to change payment details.
Telephone (vishing)
Calls claiming to be from your bank, agent or solicitor asking you to “verify” account details or move money to a “safe” account.
Text message (smishing)
Texts containing urgent requests or links, often spoofed to display a trusted name in place of the sender’s number.
Warning signs to look out for
- An email or call asking you to send funds to a new or different bank account, or notifying you that account details have “changed”.
- Links that mimic a legitimate login page or ask you to re-enter personal or banking details.
- Unexpected urgency or pressure to act immediately, especially close to completion or a payment deadline.
- Requests that appear to come from a senior person, your solicitor or our team, but feel out of character.
- Subtle inconsistencies in writing style, grammar, email addresses or domain names.
We will never ask you to change payment details by email
ONE Residential Group and our solicitors will never email you to tell you our bank details have changed. If you receive any such request, treat it as fraudulent and call us on a number you already know before acting.
Conveyancing & payment fraud
One of the most damaging frauds in property is the interception of emails between a buyer and their solicitor or conveyancer. Criminals monitor the correspondence and, shortly before completion, send a convincing email supplying “updated” bank details for the deposit or purchase funds. The money is transferred straight to the fraudster and can be extremely difficult to recover.
Always verify account details verbally, using a phone number you have independently confirmed — never a number contained in the email itself — and make a small test payment first where possible.
How to protect yourself
- Only ever use bank account details that have been verified directly with the recipient by phone or in person.
- If you are told account details have changed, independently call the organisation on a known number to confirm before sending anything.
- Do not click links or open attachments in unexpected messages; type known web addresses into your browser instead.
- Check email addresses, domain names and writing style carefully for inconsistencies.
- Never share passwords, one-time passcodes or full banking details — no legitimate organisation will ask for them.
- Where available, ask your bank about a Confirmation of Payee check before transferring large sums.
How ONE Residential protects you
- We restrict the sharing of confidential client data and only request information we genuinely need.
- We confirm your identity before discussing sensitive matters or account details.
- We hold and transmit sensitive documents securely and avoid recording unnecessary details.
- We will never notify you of a change to our bank details by email, text or voicemail.
If you suspect fraud
If you believe you have been targeted or have made a payment to a fraudulent account, act immediately:
- Contact your bank straight away — they may be able to stop or recall the payment.
- Report it to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime.
- Let us know as soon as possible so we can help and alert anyone else who may be affected.
