Removing fraudulent ads

Removing a fraudulent ad for your listing could not be easier with Property Shield!

When a potentially fraudulent ad has been detected, Property Shield alerts you in two different ways. You will receive an email as well as a notification through a widget on the connectMLS homepage.

The email is sent to the email address on file in your membership record and looks like this:

Click the Take Action button to see a side-by-side comparison of your listing and the suspicious ad. From there, it is just one more click to begin the process of having the ad taken down from the platform on which it was found.

When you log into Connect, the Fraud Alert widget on the homepage immediately notifies you of a potentially fraudulent ad:

The widget displays the address of the listing, as well as the platform/website where the ad was found.

Click the Take Action button: 

This opens a new browser tab, allowing you to review the ad and compare it to your own listing on SmartMLS:

• The property information and photos from the SmartMLS listing appear on the left (highlighted in orange above).
• The questionable ad displays on the right side of the screen (highlighted in yellow above). 
  In addition to displaying the property info (including price) and photos, Property Shield provides:
  • The reason the ad was flagged.
  • The person/entity who posted the ad (if available).
  • The platform (Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, etc.) where the ad was found.

The side-by-side display makes it easy for you to compare the ad to your listing on SmartMLS and make a quick determination of the legitimacy of the ad.

• If it is a legitimate ad that you posted yourself (or authorized someone to post on your behalf), just click the green Yes button at the top center of the screen. No further action is required.
   
• If the ad is fraudulent (you did not post or authorize the ad), click the red No button at the top center of the screen. That is all you need to do. Property Shield takes it from there and works in the background to have the ad removed from that specific platform. The timeframe of the removal process itself varies- some platforms will remove the ad within hours; others can take a couple of days or more. 

After you have a fraudulent ad removed, it is very possible that the property will be re-posted again, perhaps on a different platform. Fraudsters are persistent- it is important that you stay vigilant and keep an eye on your Fraud Alert widget. 

Related articles:

Adding the Fraud Alert widget to your connectMLS homepage