{"id":857,"date":"2026-05-07T17:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/?p=857"},"modified":"2026-05-07T17:40:41","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T17:40:41","slug":"scam-alert-fake-zoom-google-meet-buyer-inquiries-targeting-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/training\/tech-tip\/scam-alert-fake-zoom-google-meet-buyer-inquiries-targeting-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"Scam Alert \u2013 Fake Zoom\/Google Meet Buyer Inquiries Targeting Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I want to make everyone aware of a new scam that is actively targeting real estate agents through listing inquiries on sites like Compass, Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and MLS feeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The email (or text) says they saw your listing on Zillow\/Redfin\/Compass and want to set up a Zoom or Google Meet showing. The link they send you will be a bad one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The scam typically looks like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>A \u201cbuyer\u201d reaches out expressing strong interest in a listing.<\/li><li>They often claim they are relocating, out of town, or having phone connection issues.<\/li><li>They insist on communicating through Zoom or Google Meet.<\/li><li>They ask the agent to click a meeting link THEY created.<\/li><li>In some cases, the link installs malware, steals login credentials, or attempts to gain access to email\/accounts.<\/li><li>Some newer versions of the scam are also believed to be collecting video\/audio to create AI deepfakes.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Several red flags we are seeing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Generic Gmail addresses<\/li><li>Email addresses with random extra numbers and letters (because scammers constantly have to create new accounts)<ul><li>Example: <a href=\"mailto:johnsmith847291@gmail.com\">johnsmith847291@gmail.com<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Vague or scripted language<\/li><li>Refusal to talk by phone first<\/li><li>Pushing urgency to schedule a virtual meeting<\/li><li>Asking the agent to click an outside link or download software<\/li><li>Claiming Zoom needs an \u201cupdate\u201d before joining<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>What agents SHOULD do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2705 Host the meeting yourself whenever possible.<br>\u2705 Create your own Zoom\/Google Meet link and send it to the client.<br>\u2705 Verify the prospect by phone before scheduling virtual meetings.<br>\u2705 Hover over links before clicking and confirm they go to official Zoom or Google domains.<br>\u2705 Use two-factor authentication on your email and business accounts.<br>\u2705 If something feels off, trust your instincts and stop communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What agents should NOT do:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u274c Do not click unfamiliar Zoom\/Google Meet links from unknown prospects.<br>\u274c Do not install \u201cupdates\u201d prompted from a meeting link.<br>\u274c Do not give remote access to your computer during a meeting.<br>\u274c Do not enter passwords into pages that look suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you ever have someone that legitimately needs to look at a house via Zoom, YOU be the one to set up the link.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you ever need help setting up a Zoom showing, reach out to Nick or me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you receive one of these inquiries or accidentally click a suspicious link, restart your device, change your password, monitor your accounts, and let us know if you see anything weird!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, scammers are becoming more sophisticated and are specifically targeting real estate professionals because of the sensitive client and financial information we handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Please stay alert!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Katie Casey<br>Crown Realty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I want to make everyone aware of a new scam that is actively targeting real estate agents through listing inquiries on sites like Compass, Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and MLS feeds. The email (or text) says they saw your listing on Zillow\/Redfin\/Compass and want to set up a Zoom or Google Meet showing. The link they<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/training\/tech-tip\/scam-alert-fake-zoom-google-meet-buyer-inquiries-targeting-agents\/\" class=\"more\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":858,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[43],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":859,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857\/revisions\/859"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crownrealty.network\/agent\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}