An online real estate brokerage has issued a warning that real estate agents are being targeted by scammers using its name
An online real estate brokerage has issued a warning that real estate agents are being targeted by scammers using its name.
Movoto says that agents and brokers are receiving emails that appear to come from the company asking for $10 for a lead. It says that the scam is similar to those that targeted Redfin and Realtor.com earlier in the year.
“Movoto would never ask its agents or partner agents to pay upfront for a lead,” says Imtiyaz Haque, Movoto’s CEO. “Movoto qualifies all of its clients and connects a client to an agent only when they are willing to transact.”
The scammers are also using text messages sent to agents and brokers.
“Any email or text that appears to be from Movoto but asks for $10, or any amount of money upfront for a lead, is from a scammer,” says Haque.
Movoto says that any agent or broker who receives a suspicious message, including those asking for money upfront, should not respond and search online for key words used in the inquiry (for example, the person’s name and a few phrases used by the person).
You may be able to find other agents who have encountered the same scam.
