CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC FRAUD ALERT

BANK WIRING INSTRUCTION FRAUD

Recently there have been increased reports across the nation of a theft scheme that involves hackers stealing email addresses and sending fraudulent wiring instructions to homebuyers and tenants. Realtors®, lawyers, title agents and buyers could be affected. The criminal scheme has many variations and this notice is not intended to describe each situation. As an actual or prospective buyer or tenant, we want to alert you to the situation so that you can minimize the risk that you could be a victim.

We strongly recommend that before you wire any funds to any party (including your own lawyer, real estate broker or title agent whom you know to be involved in your transaction) that you personally call them to verify the wire instructions (you should confirm the ABA routing number or SWIFT code and the credit account number). You should call them at a number that you have obtained on your own (e.g., the sales contract, their website, etc.) and should not use the phone number that is contained in any email – even if the email appears to be from someone you know. A common aspect of the scheme involves the criminal hacking the sender’s email (unbeknownst to them) and sending you an email that looks like other legitimate emails you have received from that party. The email contains the criminal’s wire instructions and may contain the criminal’s phone number and once your funds are wired by your bank to the criminal’s account there may be no way to recover those funds.

PLEASE EXERCISE CAUTION BEFORE WIRING FUNDS TO ANY PARTY. This notice is not intended to provide legal advice. You should consult with a lawyer if you have any questions.

WIRE FRAUD SCAM ALERT

We recently learned of a wire fraud scam connected with rental properties. These sham transactions have been identified in at least the countries of Belgium, the Netherlands and United Kingdom.

In this scam, the scammer advertises a property to rent on a website with only an email address to contact them. After a potential tenant expresses interest, he/she is contacted by email (in Dutch) for more information. The scammers provide the address of the property andsome general information and then asks to communicate further (in English) – and by email only. If the potential tenant reacts positively to this request, pictures are sent along with information about the property and instructions for wiring money (1 or 2 months rent) to consolidate the deal so they can send the keys of the property and the legal documents to a CENTURY 21 office to handle the transaction. Once the money is wired, there is no further contact.

Under no circumstances should you wire any money in this situation. You should always verify the legitimacy of any real estate transaction before transferring any funds. Please contact the CENTURY 21 Regional office in your country to verify the legitimacy of any transaction. A list of regional offices can be found here: http://www.century21global.com/

We want to alert consumers to this scam so that you can take measures to ensure the security of your information and to protect yourselves. For more information on wire-fraud scams or to report an incident, please refer to the following links:

JOBS@CENTURY21-HR.COM SCAM ALERT

Century 21 Real Estate LLC firmly believes in the importance of protecting personally identifiable information of all consumers. Be wary of unauthorized parties identifying themselves as “CENTURY 21 Recruitment Specialists” or something similar and offering potential work opportunities. There have been reports of emails being sent from an email address that includes our trademark and contains attachments asking the recipients to fill out questionnaires regarding employment history and other information to send back to the sender. These emails may be operated by persons looking to collect personal information about you for the purpose of perpetrating a fraud or stealing your identity.

BE ADVISED THAT THESE TYPES OF EMAILS ARE NOT ORIGINATING FROM CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC AND CENTURY 21 REAL ESTATE LLC DOES NOT SEEK CANDIDATES FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN THIS WAY.

If you have provided personally identifiable information (such as social security number, bank numbers or credit card information) to an unauthorized party, please contact one of the following agencies to report this disclosure and receive guidance on any further actions you should take to protect your identity:

  • FTC toll free hotline: 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357)
  • FTC online complaint form (http://www.ftc.gov/)
  • Canadian PhoneBusters hotline: 888-495-8501
  • Internet Fraud Complaint Center (http://www.ic3.gov/)
  • Non-emergency number for your local police department.
  • The government agency in your country responsible for dealing with fraud.

It has come to our attention that people are running various employment scams using various corporate brands, including the CENTURY 21 brand.  An important reminder that if you see an employment opportunity, you should always directly contact the local affiliate before giving out any personal information.

AGENT-RATINGS.COM SCAM ALERT

You may have reached this page through an unauthorized source, agent-ratings.com. Agent-ratings.com is using fake Century 21 banner ads which link to the Century 21 homepage in an effort to lend legitimacy to their business by creating a false relationship with Century 21. Please be advised that Century 21 has no affiliation or relationship with agent-ratings.com or its affiliated companies. Century 21 does not advertise on agent-ratings.com and Century 21 has not authorized use of its ads, trademarks and/or logos on the agent-ratings.com website. To continue on to the Century 21 website, simply click on any of the above links or click here: http://www.century21.com

FRAUDULENT IMPOSTERS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE CENTURY 21 BRAND

There are numerous scams being perpetrated by people who claim to be associated with the CENTURY 21 brand.  For example, numerous entities/people posing as CENTURY 21 affiliated agents in connection with various business enterprises, including a time share purchase, rental of vacation homes, as well as home and office cleaning, contractor or repair services (e.g. www.century21contractor.com).  One particular scheme has scammers posing as, or otherwise selling interests in, something called “C21 Fractional Ownership.”  They have changed their website several times in response to communications from Century 21 Real Estate LLC, but they remain engaged in their scheme.  We have been unable to locate the specific individuals behind this fraud.  Under no circumstances are these individuals or anything labeled “Fractional” affiliated with the CENTURY 21 System in any manner whatsoever. 

Please use the functionality on our website to validate any legitimate businesses/individuals affiliated with the CENTURY 21 system.  You can search by office or agent in the search box.  If the legal entity/person who contacted you is not identified on our website, they are NOT affiliated with the CENTURY 21 franchise system.