{"id":37960,"date":"2022-04-10T09:30:38","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T21:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/?p=37960"},"modified":"2022-04-10T09:30:38","modified_gmt":"2022-04-09T21:30:38","slug":"beware-new-instagram-scam-targets-top-real-estate-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/propertynoise.co.nz\/au\/beware-new-instagram-scam-targets-top-real-estate-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"BEWARE: New Instagram scam targets top real estate agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHOTO: \u00a0Scammers have been targeting real estate agents on Instagram and taking over their profiles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A real estate media coach has warned agents about an online scam targeting the industry aimed at stealing top agents\u2019 Instagram profiles to push a Bitcoin fraud.<\/h3>\n

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According to The Media Coach,\u00a0Imogen Callister, more than 60 agents, including many of the country\u2019s top performers have fallen victim to the scam that locks them out of\u00a0their accounts\u00a0and uses their large followings to promote Bitcoin money-making schemes.<\/p>\n

Mrs Callister said\u00a0the scam\u00a0starts when an agent is contacted by a follower, who is often a friend or colleague, asking for help as they\u2019ve been locked out of their account and they need three people to help verify their information.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re busy and on the run, you most likely don\u2019t look at the link,\u201d Mrs Callister said.The agent is then sent a link to forward to the friend, which is actually the link to their own account\u2019s password reset.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou just copy the link and send it on.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhen that happens, the hacker gains access to your account and removes your mobile number and they can then change your email address and your handle, which gives them access to your profile.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re now kicked out of your Instagram account because your password has been changed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mrs Callister said once the hackers gained access to the agent\u2019s accounts, they\u2019re able to promote different Bitcoin scams and use the agent\u2019s status to suck people in.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnsuspecting agents are the key to this scam because they look like great candidates to be Bitcoin traders,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cReal estate agents typically have nice cars, nice suits and shots of their family.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that these people have access to quite a few profiles, including a number of elite performers across the Eastern Suburbs (of Sydney), the scam will be able to continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll then send out the identical message to each of the followers asking their contacts for help.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Media Coach Imogen Callister has urged agents to look out for the scam.<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

According to Mrs Callister, the scam has picked up speed, with just three of the 60 agents that had contacted her able to recover access to their accounts.<\/p>\n

Mrs Callister said there were a number of measures agents could take to help secure their accounts and prevent these types of scams taking place.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease do not reply to these people, do not ever send on any links and set up two-factor verification today,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause you can spend 10 years building an\u00a0online brand\u00a0with a large following and it can be taken away in one fell swoop.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are also other security options agents should consider such as facial recognition, regularly changing their passwords and using digital tools such as LastPass to help store passwords securely, Mrs Callister said.<\/p>\n

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She also suggested making complex passwords that are unique to every website you access on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, the scam is going to get worse before it gets better because there is no way of shutting it down,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Mrs Callister said if agents had been impacted, they should continue to try to contact Facebook, despite the company not having a department that dealt with identity theft.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you ever get emails from Facebook that you didn\u2019t initiate, they are from scammers trying to access your account,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf people ask for help and ask them to send you a link never do it because you can guarantee it\u2019s a scam.\u201d<\/p>\n

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