Female agents targeted by scammers posing as sheriff’s officers

In some cases, the caller tried setting up a meeting

(Credit: iStock)
(Credit: iStock)

Scammers posing as sheriff’s officers have been calling female real estate agents in southeastern Massachusetts seeking to set up private meetings.

At least two agents received calls from an unidentified man who said he worked for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts and told the women they owed $2,000 in fines, Inman reported. The callers identified themselves as sheriff’s officers and used technology that allowed the actual number to be blocked but displayed “Sheriff’s Office” on the recipients’ phones. Two other agents received calls from a man who claimed a broker wanted to speak with them.

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“It has come to the association’s attention that someone is targeting female real estate agents in the Southeastern Massachusetts area and is trying to start up conversations with them, AND in multiple instances, tried to set up a private meeting,” the Realtors Association of Southeastern Massachusetts said in an email to members. “In two cases, the Realtor received a text message from their Broker asking them to ‘chat,’ but the number was spoofed and the broker had not contacted that agent.”

It appears that the callers were specifically targeting female agents. The callers may have found the agents’ contact information from lead generation websites. Last year, The Real Deal spoke to agents about personal safety while on the job. [Inman] — Kathryn Brenzel