REALTORS® across REBGV are reporting more scam leads coming through property search sites and social media.

Cyber criminals can use these scam leads to: 

• Trick Realtors into clicking bad links, installing malicious software on their devices. 
• Steal personal information or information on listed properties to use in other scams. 
• Convince the Realtor to send cash or other assets like cryptocurrencies or gift cards to the scammer. 
• Harass the Realtor. 

Scam leads can either be legitimately submitted through a site or social media platform, or they can be “spoofed” or faked to avoid security checks these platforms use.  

Cyber criminals send spoofed leads through email or text, using numbers or email addresses similar to the platform they’re pretending to send from. 

These leads typically contain links to malicious websites or software. 

To spot one of these leads, carefully check the message for:  

• Poor spelling and grammar. 
• Visual differences from previous, legitimate lead notifications. 
• An incorrect, or misspelled sender email address. 

Verify if the lead is legitimate by going directly to the site it supposedly came from. Never click a link in an unexpected message. 

If it’s a text message, report it as spam. 

If it's an email, don’t download or view any images embedded in the email. Follow your office’s cyber security procedures for scam or phishing emails. If your office doesn’t have a procedure, mark it as “spam” and delete the email. 

It’s much more difficult to spot a scam lead sent legitimately through a social media platform or real estate listing website. Scammers using these sites and platforms are becoming more sophisticated, often researching the market or professional terms to sound legitimate. 

Recently, we’ve seen reports of scammers pretending to be: 

• Foreign buyers looking to purchase a home remotely. 
• Buyers with a recent, large inheritance looking to enter the market. 
• Current owners looking for a larger home for their families. 

Regardless of the story, these scammers will typically look to get money, assets, or personal information from the Realtor. 

To spot these scams, you should: 

• Trust your gut. If it looks to good to be true it probably is. 
• Avoid any cash, cryptocurrency, or gift card transactions, especially if you haven’t met the potential client in person. 
• Meet the potential client in person for the first time at a public, well attended place like your office or a coffee shop. 
• Verify their identity independently by searching for them on social media. 

Most sites, like REALTOR.ca, let you rate a lead or report suspicious leads as “spam”. This helps site administrators pre-emptively weed out scam leads. 

If a scammer reached out to you personally, cut off all contact with them, write down any details on the interaction, including phone numbers and descriptions of the scammer, and contact your local law enforcement. In this case, you should also let us know by contacting mmoldowan@rebgv.org with your police file number.