Is an email from my solicitor saying payment details have changed before a house purchase safe?
Treat with extreme caution. Conveyancing fraud is a devastating scam where criminals intercept emails and redirect completion funds.
Last reviewed: 1 June 2026
Explanation
Conveyancing fraud — also known as Friday afternoon fraud — is one of the highest-value scams targeting individuals. Criminals monitor email communications between buyers, sellers, and solicitors during a property purchase. Shortly before completion, the buyer receives an email purporting to be from their solicitor with 'updated' bank details for the completion payment. The email may look identical to genuine correspondence. The funds are transferred to the fraudster's account, which is quickly emptied before the fraud is discovered. Banks and solicitors have little ability to recover the funds. Always verify any change to completion payment details by calling your solicitor on a number you already have — never one provided in the email — before making any transfer.
Common red flags
- Solicitor sends an email saying their bank details have changed
- Email arrives close to a completion date when urgency is high
- New bank details are for a different account name than your solicitor's firm
- Email requests that you confirm the new details by email only
What to do now
- Do not use the new bank details until you have verbally confirmed with your solicitor by phone on their known number
- Call the solicitor's office, not any number in the suspect email
- If funds were already transferred, contact your bank immediately and request an urgent recall
- Report to Action Fraud (UK) or your national fraud authority
Frequently asked questions
Do solicitors ever legitimately change bank details?
Very rarely, and they would always confirm such changes by phone and in writing before any transfer was due. Any email-only notification of a bank detail change should be treated as a scam until verbally confirmed.