ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 15, 2019 – A new scam targets agents using a text message that appears to come from their broker. Realtors from South Florida and Tampa have reported the scam so far, but it could happen anywhere.
Scammers must first earn their victim’s trust, and it saves time if victims think they’re talking to their broker. However, this scam is only profitable if the agent somehow sends money to the scammers, and those requests can seem out of line for a real estate firm.
In one South Florida case reported by WPTV in West Palm Beach, multiple Boca Raton agents with Florida’s Best Realty received text messages from their “broker” asking them to buy $400 worth of iTunes gift cards or Stream gift cards, scratch off the verification codes and text them to the scammer (broker).
Email phishing scams have been around for a while. In these cases, an email’s “From” line has the name of someone known to the recipient. While the text-version of this scam is less common – it’s sometimes called a smishing scam – it can be just as effective.
“We’ve had attempted email phishing scams within Florida Realtors, but so far no text scams,” says Eric Forsman, Florida Realtors vice president of technology services. “However, the texts may be more effective because it’s a new type of scam – not everyone is prepared for it.”
Forsman says real estate is an ideal industry for this type of scam because company info is generally available online, making it easy to find brokers’ and their agents’ names.
In the Boca Raton case, each agent received a text that appeared to come from their broker, and the phone number looked correct, broker Marshal Sklar told WPTV. “Same area code, the first three digits, I am 222 and they were 322,” Sklar says. The scammers even created a new email account using the broker’s name.
While no agents with Sklar’s company fell for the scam, at least one Delray Beach agent did and ended up buying $800 worth of gift cards.
Forsman offers the same advice for text scams that he offers for email scams: “Ask yourself if this text or email sounds like the kind of communication you’d usually get from this person. Is it an unusual request? Is it written in their style? Just because it seems to come from one of your superiors, don’t assume you should respond quickly and do whatever they’ve requested.”
While brokers do sometimes text their agents with requests, it’s always best to verify the source.
“If in doubt, pick up the phone and call your broker,” says Forsman. “It’s the fastest, easiest way to check – and it could save you hundreds of dollars.”
© 2019 Florida Realtors®
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