REALTOR EXTORTION SCAM reported here first - www.realtor-complaints.com
It read:
My daughter's friend hired your agency a couple months ago (and I believe you as the realtor). Her home sold very quickly and I'm interested in hiring you to list our home as well.
Would you mind sending me a couple references from past clients of yours? The only concern I have is this bad review I found on realtor complaints..
http://www.realtor-complaints.com/real-estate-agents/William-H-Hays-Carlsbad-CA
I look forward to hearing back from you,
Sara Williams
The return email address for Sara was: Sara Williams <info@esystemsint.biz>
At first, you read the email thinking you might have a lead, but then it starts to become clear that the email is a scam. Click on the link and it goes to what appears to be a complaint about me - but my name is clearly taken from an old data base as I don't use my formal name like that nor have I been affiliated with the brokerage listed for many years. Anyways, if you click on the choices to either respond or erase, you are taken to a paypal page to PAY $49 or $99 dollars to respond or get the complaint removed. NO CHANCE that is happening. So I contacted the California Association of Realtors to make them aware and hopefully something can be done to shut it down. WIth responses on this blog coming from across the nation, I will also go to NAR.
I just wanted post this here to help spread the awareness that review extortion is here!
See the latest post on this scam http://www.trulia.com/blog/BeachBrokerBill/2013/01/www_realtor_complaints_com_is_out_of_control_calling_on_nar_and_re_max_to_shut_them_down
UPDATED NOTE: as of 1/14/2013 at approximately 10 am PST, the above link appears to have been taken down. YAY!! But here is the webpage itself- http://www.realtor-complaints.com . The remove complaint tab on the webpage has been disabled as well. Such a shame as they were having a half-off special through January 15th!
ADDITIONAL UPDATE: KUDOS TO RE/MAX for jumping on this and taking steps to protect fellow agents across the nation from this extortion scheme. If you read below, you will see not only did the scheme victimize individual agents, but it perpetrated an entire company (RE/MAX). No one is immune to internet scams and they keep getting more complicated and appearing more and more legit. The ads referred to in this blog that were on this bogus site were linked to actual RE/MAX sites - how can someone be able to tell what is real anymore?
ADDTIONAL ADDITIONAL UPDATE - well maybe I was wrong....as of 1/14/2013 1230 PST, my complaint is back up and the site seems to be operational again....however, numerous others have reported on the site as can be seen with this link - http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&rlz=&q=realtor-complaint.com
LATEST UPDATE - as of 1/17/2013 at 9 am, site is still up with operational ads...have to wonder why it hasn't been shut down. AND have to be concerned that someone with access to servers outside the country can set up shop like this with total impunity.
LATEST UPDATE - as of 1/24/13, the site is "dormant" as described by NAR in their brief follow-up http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Comments
As it is we get a lot of spam and a lot of phishing schemes with riches promised from far away bank accounts....but when they create a page that portrays to slander someone and attempts to extort money like this, that is way over the line. This is an attack on a cornerstone in the realtor's business arsenal - their reputation. I am hoping CAR will do something to deal with it.
I would hope you and Brenda would bring it to your management's attention, and and let us know what they do about it.
I look at this as an opportunity for RE/MAX. Understand that I and other fellow agents who are getting these type of extortion emails aren't very happy considering how hard we work to maintain our reputations. I look forward to RE/MAX taking the lead in doing the right thing to shut this activity down and to get the manufactured reviews about me and other agents removed permanently from this site. Ironically, they are even sending the emails to RE/MAX agents.
I appreciate you sending the information on to your management and hearing what they have to say.
Extortion EMAILS aside - I still find that a site that allows unsubstantiated comments to be posted and then charges money for person whom is being attacked to defend themselves is reprehensible. The fact Judy, is that I or anyone can post something negative on that site about you today for free and they will charge you $49 to respond or $99 to erase it. Is that a site that is truly looking out for the public interest or just looking to make a buck?
I look at RE/MAX pretty highly - read the book and find the agents to be of high caliber. So let's do the right thing here and make the wrongs this site is creating right.
Hi Judi,
After reviewing the Bill’s blog – yes our agents are affected by SPAM since spammers have the ability to do a search for all of our agents on remax.com. Looks the spammer also hit C21 agents.
This has already been reported to eCare and the sender as been blocked. In addition, they’re investigating the RE/MAX ad next to the agent complaint page. For those that our website savvy it’s very easy to take or frame images and use them on other websites. RE/MAX would not be place an ad on such site. In addition, if you click on the image it takes you directly to the find an agent page where the spammer use it to send spam email.
Thank you for sending!
I think with the whole movement in our industry toward reviews, we will be seeing more and more of this kind of scam. While I wasn't to the point of pulling my credit card out of my wallet, when I saw the email and clicked on the link, the first thought is, "How do I fix this?" None of us want to have bad reviews - we work way too hard for that. Spam and scams are all over, but this one went a step further....
Thanks again for your help. I am glad to see you are so passionate about your work and the company you represent.
Torang
http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2013/01/10/don%E2%80%99t-let-your-reputation%E2%80%94or-your-wallet%E2%80%94fall-prey-to-scam-complaint-site/
OK, with that said, REMAX had nothing purposeful to do with this. I went to the site and looked at the code. They used a Wordpress backend application and have their own folder with REMAX images in it - which they simply stole from the site (I can see the folder in the code). It takes a minute to right click and copy pictures or take a snapshot. They used REAL links - that is easy. Anybody can cut and paste and give instructions to a link to make it seem real. They are ALSO referencing the MOBILE apps. I did not have enough time to analyze all of the details and I cannot decipher all the code completely but I get a lot of it and can figure out the general idea of what they are trying to do.
I went to the whois database to see what I could find on domain name owners. No surprise - they are paying for privacy so you cannot get the actual name of the owner. What I did get is that the domain name , as mentioned prior, was purchased on Jan. 1, 2013. It is registered in Panama. They have to list a telephone number - this should be the privacy company which is Tel: +507.65995877. Private Registrar: Internet.bs Corp. Email: 50ef6cd107ka7c9i@t02cduv4f7f99a255f64.privatewhois.net . That is a REAL email that works like Craigslist. It should anon the email but it has to route it through. You can call or file complaints directly because whoever is behind this is committing fraud. You can also call the privacy company locally - I checked ti out they have offices in LA. Phone: 310 301 5800.
I suggest we all call and email the privacy company. They seem reputable. The purpose for using a privacy company is really to protect your identification and to keep spammers or people from getting your information. It is all public unless you privatize.
Also PAYPAL is indirectly involved and should be contacted.
Anyway, I have an appointment right now so I must sign off.
http://speakingofrealestate.blogs.realtor.org/2013/01/10/don%E2%80%99t-let-your-reputation%E2%80%94or-your-wallet%E2%80%94fall-prey-to-scam-complaint-site/
Domain ID:
Domain Name: realtor-complaints.com
Created On: 01-Jan-2013 00:00:00
Expiration Date: 01-Jan-2014 00:00:00
Sponsoring Registrar: INTERNET.BS CORP. (INTERNET.BS CORP.)
Status: client_transfer_prohibited
Name Server: ns1.parkingcrew.net
Name Server: ns2.parkingcrew.net
Their site is parked!! YAY!
I mean how many people created a user name and have only commented on this particular thread once? They say the arsonist sticks around to watch the fire they set burn.... It was clear that someone involved was definitely monitoring the online commenting on this and other sites.