It’s the Internet: Do You Know Where Your Listing Is?

With the sharing and exchange of so much listing data online today, agents know that exposure for their listings is normally a great asset when it comes to getting a property sold.

Savvy agents also understand that while exposure is great, there may be some security issues to be mindful of when listing property on the Internet. It's a smart move to consistently monitor your listings and to continually track where these listings show up to ensure they are popping up in the right places!

Recently, listed properties have been popping up on Craigslist, but not under the listing agent's name or company. Reports have revealed that some listed properties on popular web portals are being hijacked and placed under a bogus name with alternate contact information, thus setting the scenario for fraud and deception. This is not only illegal, but can deceive unsuspecting prospects get involved in a fraudulent transaction and put sellers in a possibly harmful situation.

There are several international scams that have been reported that involve scraping information about properties for sale and offering them for lease. Inquiries about these properties are answered with an email that uses a similar name to the listing agent, property owner or sometimes even a former tenant. Scammers have used Craigslist and rental sites to advertise various properties, without the knowledge of the agent or the owners.

Vendors are aware of these scams but are unable to determine if a post is legitimate or not unless it is reported to them. That's exactly why agents should consider using Google Alerts to keep the information about their properties monitored and ultimately safe from a hijacking!