Scam Awareness in Property Transactions

Last week marked Scam Awareness Week, and as a firm that focuses on property law, it was a timely opportunity to reflect on how scams continue to evolve—particularly in the conveyancing space.

While scams can target anyone, property transactions are especially vulnerable due to the large sums of money involved, tight timeframes, and the increasing reliance on digital communication.

At Lawson Lawyers, we will never communicate a change in bank account details by email. We have invested time and money in minimizing cyber security risks by using measures such as encrypted messages through our practice management software, ALWAYS confirming bank details either at our in-person meeting or by telephone, and encouraging our clients to use the PEXA Key for conveyancing matters.

We ask that all of our clients confirm bank account details by contacting our usual, advertised phone number before transferring funds.

As part of Scam Awareness Week, PEXA (Property Exchange Australia) released the attached resource "Staying Safe from Settlement Scams" for its subscribers (us!) to share.

PEXA’s guide outlines the real-world risks in digital property transactions, including:

• How scammers operate, particularly when it comes to payment redirection fraud.

• Warning signs to look out for in suspicious emails.

• Best practices for verifying bank account details.

• Tips on secure communication between you and your conveyancer or legal representative.

What we like most about this document is that it’s written in plain English that anyone can follow, and it aligns closely with our firm’s internal protocols.