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How to Spot Spammers and Hackers in an Instant

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Real Estate Agent with Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker DRE #00697006

If you use email, you have to be on your guard all of the time. Ah, the life of a Sacramento Realtor. Definitely not like the old days. You've always on your toes. And if they aren't emailing you with crap, they are calling. Sometimes I hang up on prospects because they sound too cheery, LOL, and I figure they are a telemarketer. I'm lucky if they call back.

Through email, though, it is easier to spot the spammers and hackers. The first thing I think about when I get a piece of email is: Do I know this sender? The second is the call to action. Does the sender want me to do something specific? Like click on a link that could contain a virus? However, there are many more clues something is amiss.

You can read more and see the actual email I received from supposedly Zillow in my personal blog today at this link: Use Spelling and Grammar to Recognize Email Crooks.

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Elizabeth Weintraub is co-partner of Weintraub & Wallace Team of Top Producing Realtors, an author, home buying expert at The Balance, a Land Park resident, and a veteran real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown, Carmichael and East Sacramento, as well as tract homes in Elk Grove, Natomas, Roseville and Lincoln. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put our combined 80 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold. DRE License # 00697006.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of RE/MAX Gold. Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice; it could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

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Mott Marvin Kornicki
Waterway Realtors® • Notary Public & Apostille - Sunny Isles, FL
Miami Notary & Apostille 786-229-7999

Always read the link carefully - I was phished by a PayPal scheme and also a Square scheme. The URL LOOKS like it's official, but when looking more carefully we will find that it is close but not quite right. Scammers and schemers usually have poor spelling or write as though English is not their first language.

Jul 15, 2018 10:10 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Hi Elizabeth... on Friday afternoon, I was the lucky(?) recipient of half a dozen spam/robo calls in the space of about 35 minutes. All numbers have been blocked, but I know they'll be back with new numbers next week. Last week I received a notice supposedly from GoDaddy that looked so authentic, I had to call GoDaddy to double-check. And let's not forget about the spammers/hackers who now also text us!

Carol Williams my suggestion for Second Chance Saturday.

Jul 15, 2018 11:42 AM
Carol Williams
Although I'm retired, I love sharing my knowledge and learning from other real estate industry professionals. - Wenatchee, WA
Retired Agent / Broker / Prop. Mgr, Wenatchee, WA

Hi Elizabeth,
I've gotten pretty good at spotting the spam emails.  Maybe because I get lots or practice.  LOL   I've gotten to the point of not answering any calls from numbers I don't recognize.  The fact I am retired makes that less risky.  I feel sorry for people actually doing business these days, trying to sort the spammers from the legitimate prospects.  I also have an app on my phone call HiYa that tells me if a number is a likely spammer or telemarketer.   Thanks for the post!

Jul 15, 2018 12:01 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Elizabeth- it seems to me that these scammers need to hire Marte Cliff to proofread their scam letters!

Jul 15, 2018 05:41 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Sham Reddy I don't get very many robo calls or spam calls. My TrueCaller identifies most of them. Those that slip through, in 2 seconds I can generally tell and I hang up. If they don't want to sell a house, I have no interest in talking to them.

Jul 15, 2018 05:56 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Mott Marvin Kornicki That is especially true of the DocuSign scams going around, trying to get you to click on a link. You can mouse over and hover to see the URL but the problem with that approach is if you use a wireless mouse, like I do, you can accidentally click on the link just by hovering. Very sensitive.

Jul 15, 2018 05:57 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Nina Hollander When I receive spam texts, I just reply in text STOP. 9 times out of 10 I receive a reply back that I've been unsubscribed.

Jul 15, 2018 05:58 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Carol Williams I deal with so many out-of-state and out-of-area sellers that I have to answer every call. I wish I could be a slacker and let them to go v/m but I can't. Drives me crazy that I feel so compelled, but I do.

Jul 15, 2018 05:59 PM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Kathy Streib That's what I mentioned to Marte Cliff. Seriously. That's the dead giveaway, all the spelling mistakes.

Jul 15, 2018 06:01 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

To Kathy Streib - I think I'd pass on that assignment, thanks.

Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Real Estate Agent, Top 1% of Lyon Agents - I don't use text messaging because I live where there's no cell service.

But back when I had a real estate agency we got lots of spam Fax messages. It made me cross that they were wasting my paper and ink, so I started faxing them right back, with a messaage that said "NO!".

Jul 15, 2018 08:47 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Marte Cliff - no cell service? I can imagine that there is a place without a cell service and I can't imagine having no cell service. It sounds like an experience I do not know. Or, better say, forgot how it was before the cell service

Jul 15, 2018 09:52 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL - There are lots of places without cell service when you live in a sparsely populated area. Our mountain valley is one of them. I have to drive about 5 or 6 miles to get to where there's service.

Jul 15, 2018 10:24 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Realtor

Hi Elizabeth... I do with spam texts what I do with spam calls... I immediately put them on the block list. I don't even take time to unsubscribe.

Jul 16, 2018 03:18 AM
Joan Cox
House to Home, Inc. - Denver Real Estate - 720-231-6373 - Denver, CO
Denver Real Estate - Selling One Home at a Time

Elizabeth, spam emails come in every day, and DELETE!   Like Nina, I block numbers, and don't bother to unsubscribe.

Jul 16, 2018 05:45 AM
Beth Atalay
Cam Realty and Property Management - Clermont, FL
Cam Realty of Clermont FL

Hi Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Real Estate Agent, Top 1% of Lyon Agents, unfortunately, these scammers somehow fool the innocent. Luckily, there are ways to identify and block them but still annoying. 

Jul 16, 2018 11:49 AM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730

The poor grammar is usually the giveaway to the fact it isn't legit. You would think they would know that by now.

Jul 17, 2018 11:35 PM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

Oh my gosh, so true, Elizabeth. It's almost funny if it wasn't so annoying - and I worry that they must fool some people, or they wouldn't keep doing it. Delete, delete, delete. 

Jul 28, 2018 07:45 AM
Margaret Goss
@Properties - Winnetka, IL
Chicago's North Shore & Winnetka Real Estate

Stupidity knows no bounds!

And regarding spam calls - I just ignored an out-of-state call because they are so often spam. Luckily they left a message - a real client!

Jul 28, 2018 10:15 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Elizabeth

Yes, the spam seems endless but as you point out it is usually darn easy to spot and some of it is sooo obvious, even what gets through the spam filters. I've even been getting spam from Chief of Staff John Kelly!!

What's scary is the people who fall for this stuff and get scammed.

Jeff

Jul 28, 2018 11:59 AM
Grant Schneider
Performance Development Strategies - Armonk, NY
Your Coach Helping You Create Successful Outcomes

Hi Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Real Estate Agent, Top 1% of Lyon Agents - that Zillow is a dead giveaway.  Not a typo or two but maybe someone in a foreign county having  trouble with the English language.

Jul 28, 2018 01:52 PM
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Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker

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  • Sacramento, CA
  • Elk Grove, CA
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  • West Sacramento, CA
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  • Natomas, Sacramento

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Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold, Midtown and Sierra Oaks Sacramento office. Co-partner Weintraub & Wallace Realtors. Selling since 1974. Homebuying expert at The Balance. Weintraub & Wallace sells homes from Galt to Lincoln.
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Author Bio: Elizabeth Weintraub is a Sacramento real estate broker, author, home buying expert for The Balance, a Land Park resident, who specializes not only in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento but sells extensively from Elk Grove to Lincoln. Weintraub is prominently known as the #1 Sacramento Short Sale agent throughout the Sacramento four-county area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 40+ years of real estate experience to work for you.

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