How do i protect myself when getting a Private Loan

[Efrain Torrez]

I got approved for $250k @ 5% for 30 yrs by a private loan company.  I now have to pay 2 points ($5k) for loan fees up front.  Since everything was done online by email and a few phone calls I'm not sure if i should be protecting myself somehow before I send $5k to someone I've never met in person.  How would you go about protecting yourself in this situation?  This is my first time getting a loan like this and this might be completely normal but I thought I'd ask and see if there's anything I should do.  Thanks in advance!