The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) is warning its members as well as state and local REALTOR® associations to be on high alert for email, text and online fraud.
Some associations have received a fraudulent email regarding “Relief Fund Grants” telling them to send a text to an unverified phone number to claim grant money. This email is not from NAR. If you receive it, please do not click on any links or download any files.
Beware of an email that purports to come from NAR but originates from an unknown email address. NAR has reported this email scam to the proper authorities and is blocking it from internal networks.
What to do?
If you receive an email from someone imitating NAR, please note the following:
- Take a screen shot of the scam email and use it in a report to the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3 website);
- Do not click on any links or otherwise engage with the sender. Erase the email. If you want to follow up with the FBI after filing the IC3 report, you can call your local FBI field office;
- If you have clicked on a link in a suspicious email – or if you suspect that any phone numbers or contact information were obtained due to a breach of your IT system – alert your IT department or engage an IT specialist to scan your systems and devices to make sure that you are free from malware. Visit the Data Privacy and Security topic page for more information about how to protect your business from cybercrime.