Fake Buyers and WhatsApp Scams
I’m going to go over a WhatsApp scam being perpetrated against real estate agents, but the concept … the basic scam itself … can be perpetrated against anyone.
A real estate agent was contacted by a buyer prospect who only communicates with them through WhatsApp. The agent wanted to help, but was worried about being scammed.
They wrote the NC Association of Realtors for guidance.
The association had received several reports involving fake buyers on WhatsApp over the last couple of months.
The scam typically begins the same way each time. The scammer/fake buyer will reach out either by message or voice call through WhatsApp and make contact with an agent.
The scammer establishes a relationship with the agent that often appears to be legitimate, at which point the scammer either:
(1) informs the agent that they intend to purchase the property with cash made in crypto currency trading; or
(2) requests that the agent provide the scammer with a verification code the agent has received.
The goal of the crypto story is usually to entice the agent to make crypto trades with the scammer’s website, and as soon as the agent has
inputted their own, personal banking account information, the scammer disappears with the agent’s money.
As for the verification code scam, the scammer already has the agent’s login and password for some account, such as a banking or email account, and once the verification code is given by the agent, the scammer hacks that account and maybe even holds it for ransom.
It is true that WhatsApp, in and of itself, is not a scam. It is the most popular messaging app in the world due to its low cost and ease of use.
I had my own similar experience. I got a communication that was initially by text, and they kept pushing to continue communicating on WhatsApp - which I didn’t even have at the time.
I am normally fairly skeptical and on guard for scams - scammers seem to be everywhere. I kept pushing back, and when they finally said they were looking for homes $2 to $4 million dollar range, I ended the chat. They were trying to bait me.
When people try to influence me with exaggerated claims intended to trigger greed or fear, I am skeptical and it;s normally fairly easy to debunk the claim.
I recommend being mindful of the growing number of scammers. Don’t give out personal information or click on e-mails, texts, etc from unknown sources.
As they said in the X-Files - Trust no one. The truth is out there.
Good advice
