Real Estate Agent Safety for Personal Protection and Cybersecurity
You’re doing your best giving your clients the utmost care and serving their best interests when buying or selling a home.
But, what about your personal safety? Being a real estate agent may expose you and your family to risks in different ways.
There’s personal risk, including cyberstalking and harassment, from meeting strangers alone. There’s also transactional risk to your closing, from criminals who redirect money by email or fraud.
This guide covers the safety essentials you can implement to better protect yourself from personal risk and cyber scams like wire fraud.
Guide Overview
Personal Safety for Real Estate Agents
Staying Safe at Showings and Open Houses
What to Do If You're Being Harassed or Cyberstalked
Protecting the Deal Against Fraud
Security Measures to Protect Against Personal and Cyber Risk
Security Checklist: Do This Today
FAQ
Two out of three residential REALTORS® are women. According to National Association of REALTORS® (NAR)'s 2024 Member Safety Residential Report, 25% of women in the profession feared for their safety or their personal information in 2024, compared with 12% of men.
To bring awareness to the risks real estate agents face in this profession and honor those who have, unfortunately, been victims of violence against the community, September has been deemed Real Estate Agent Safety Month.
NAR data, drawn from the 2024 Member Safety Residential Report, shows real estate professionals feel personal risk acutely: 86% of residential members showed a property alone in the past year, and 40% met a new or prospective client alone at a secluded property, up from 35% the year before.
Agents said they felt least safe during open houses (34%), after receiving a threatening or inappropriate message (31%), and during private showings (31%).
Personal Safety for Real Estate Agents
Why Real Estate Agents Are Targeted
Most crime against real estate professionals isn't a random mugging. It's planned. Someone chose a target, specifically, before they ever picked up the phone.
The "Victim Shopping" Pattern
Behavioral criminologist Lee Goldstein, founder of Real Safe Agent, coined the term "victim shopping" to describe how predators select real estate professionals as targets. His research now underpins NAR's official safety course.
Here's the pattern in plain terms. A predator browses a target’s photos, website and social media, looking for signs of weakness or accommodation before ever contacting them. The more personal information is made public, and the more agreeable or subservient someone appears online, the more likely they are to settle on that person instead of moving to someone else. Once they've picked a target, they arrange a meeting designed to get them alone.
For this reason, real estate agent safety means not looking like an easy choice in the first place and having a plan for every meeting.
What a Stranger Can Find About You Online
Online safety for real estate agents starts with knowing what's already public about you. Before someone shows up at a showing, they've usually already looked you up.
Run Your Own Background Check First
Do this once, then repeat it twice a year. Search your own name alongside your city and see what comes back. Check the major data-broker sites (Whitepages, Spokeo, BeenVerified are the most common) for your home address and phone number, and request removal where you find it. Look at what your MLS profile and brokerage bio actually expose. Delete or lock down any old social accounts you no longer use. Before you post a photo from home, check it for metadata that reveals location, and check the background for anything that identifies where you live.
Check your state's real estate license lookup too. Many licensing boards publish licensee records publicly, and some of those records include a business or mailing address on file. If your state allows you to register a business address instead of your home address, use it.
What to Share, What to Hide
Your business typically runs on being visible, and every piece of safety advice tells you to disappear. Both can't be fully true, so this isn't about disappearing. It's about deciding, on purpose, which version of you is public.
Keep your business accounts public but curate them. Listings, market updates, closings, your professional headshot. That's the version of you that gets clients.
For headshots and business photos specifically: use a shot from the shoulders up rather than full-length, skip anything that could read as a dating profile photo and look directly into the camera. A tilted head or an overly casual pose can register, to someone looking for weakness, as more approachable and less guarded than you intend.
What to hold back, even on business accounts:
- Your home address, or any photo taken clearly at home
- Live location tags, live location generally or anything posted in real time from a specific address
- Your daily routine (the same coffee shop every morning, the same gym, the same drop-off time)
- Your children's names, faces or school
- Photos that show your car, especially the license plate
- Flashy jewelry or anything that signals wealth in a photo
What to move to a private account: family life, vacations, your neighborhood, anything that shows where you live or your life outside of work.
How Your Posts Become Someone's Password
This is the crossover point between your personal safety and your account security, and it's easy to miss.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned that scammers use online quizzes, personality tests and "get to know me" prompts to collect the same information used in account recovery: your first pet, your childhood nickname, the city your parents met in, the street you grew up on.
A "Throwback Thursday" post about your childhood dog could be a live answer to a security question on your bank account or your email.
Treat those questions the same way you'd treat a password. Don't answer them publicly, in quizzes, in comment threads or in captions, even for fun.
Staying Safe at Showings and Open Houses
Screening Prospects Before You Ever Meet Them
Before a first showing with someone you haven't met, get a photo ID, and hold the first meeting at your office or another neutral, public location rather than at the property. If a prospect resists either request, treat that resistance as a red flag and document it.
Open House Safety Checklist
Managing a steady stream of strangers poses a different risk than a showing where you can screen a prospect ahead of time. Stewart’s Open House Safety Checklist breaks the day into three windows, before, during and after so almost nothing gets missed. Print it, keep it in your car and run through it before your next open house.
The Text Buddy System
Location sharing with a colleague, family member or friend only works if you do it every time. It only feels normal to a client if it's routine rather than reactive. Set up a standing habit: text a colleague, family member or friend when a showing starts and again when it ends, every single showing, regardless of who the client is. Notifying multiple people at once adds an extra layer of protection. If anything goes awry, multiple people have pertinent information about your whereabouts to give authorities.
Best Safety Apps for Real Estate Agents
The best safety apps for real estate agents are the ones you'll actually use in the moment, which means they have to work without unlocking your phone and opening an app first. Consider:
- A discreet panic button, worn or carried, that triggers with one press
- A dedicated safety app that shares your location automatically with chosen contacts
- Location-sharing set up in advance with a colleague and/or family member, not improvised in the moment
- A smartwatch with a built-in emergency SOS function
Here is a curated list of the best apps for real estate agents to promote a safer experience.
Set these up before you need them. The five minutes it takes to configure an app may not be feasible during an actual incident.
What to Do If You're Being Harassed or Cyberstalked
Recognizing a Spoofed Number
If you're getting repeated calls or texts from numbers that keep changing, or from a number you recognize that couldn't actually be the person calling, you may be dealing with cyberstalking and caller ID spoofing is usually how it's done.
The FTC's consumer guidance explains that scammers and harassers can make almost any number appear on your caller ID, including numbers that look local or familiar. Caller ID alone is not proof of who's calling.
Never trust an incoming call's number as verification. If you need to confirm who's calling, hang up and dial a number you already have on file, not the number that just called you.
What to Say and What to Document
If a call or message crosses into harassment, NAR's safety guidance recommends saying, clearly and once, "never call here again." That specific phrasing matters for meeting the legal definition of telephonic harassment in many jurisdictions, which can matter later if you need to file a report.
After that, document everything: save the messages, log the dates and times and report the pattern to your brokerage and to local police right away, rather than waiting to see if it stops on its own.
Protecting the Deal Against Fraud
How Real Estate Wire Fraud Actually Works
Real estate wire fraud almost always begins with a compromised email account, usually yours, your client's or the title company's. Once a criminal is inside that inbox, they watch quietly until a closing is imminent, then send wiring instructions that look exactly like they came from someone your client already trusts, just with one changed detail: the account the money lands in. This scheme has a name: business email compromise, or BEC, and it's now one of the costliest forms of cybercrime hitting the real estate industry specifically.
So how common is wire fraud in real estate? According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), real estate fraud losses reached $275.1 million across 12,368 complaints in 2025, up from $173 million and 9,359 complaints in 2024, and $145 million and 9,521 complaints in 2023. This has been the trajectory for years, not a one-time spike.
Seller Impersonation Fraud
This is a specific, growing scheme where a criminal impersonates the actual owner of a property, usually one that's vacant or non-owner-occupied, and tries to sell it out from under them. Because the real owner often isn't living there or checking on it, this kind of fraud can go undiscovered for months or even years.
Read more on how to protect yourself here: Staying Ahead of Seller Impersonation Fraud
A 2024 study by the American Land Title Association and ndp | analytics, made possible by Stewart Title, found that 28% of title insurance companies experienced at least one seller impersonation fraud attempt in 2023.
Vacant land was targeted in 85% of cases. The most common red flags were fake notary credentials (43% of cases) and the unauthorized use of a real notary's actual credentials (31% of cases). Nearly half of these attempts, 46%, were caught before closing.
Watch for these specific signs: a vacant or non-owner-occupied property, a request to use a notary you don't know, an all-cash offer, and pressure to close unusually fast. Any one of these alone is common and often harmless. Several of them together, on the same file, is worth a second look.
Read about how vacant land fraud works and how you can protect yourself and your clients: Red Flags to Never Ignore in Real Estate Transactions
Verify Every Wire, Every Time
Avoid Spoofing - Call the Number You Already Have
Your clients may be at most risk of fraud when conducting real estate transactions. Make sure they are following proper protocols to avoid losing large sums of money. Before any funds move, have them call to confirm the wiring instructions are legitimate, using a phone number they already had on file before this transaction, never a number provided in the email containing the instructions themselves.
This matters because, just like the harassment calls, a phone number can be spoofed to look legitimate. An incoming call proves nothing on its own. Your client has to place the call themselves to a number they already trust.
Ask the title company you are working with if they use ID verifications tools like CertifID to verify wiring instructions and conduct identity verification before money moves. They're worth building into your standard closing process rather than treating as optional.
Warn Your Clients Before They Ask
CertifID's 2024 State of Wire Fraud report found that 60% of consumers said their real estate agent or another professional on the transaction never warned them about wire fraud risk. That's the gap this section closes.
Tell every client, early in the process and again right before closing, that legitimate wiring instructions will never change by email, and that any email claiming otherwise should be treated as a red flag until verified by phone.
What to Do in Case of Fraud
If your client has already sent a wire out and senses something may be wrong, the recovery window is measured in hours, not days.
- Have them call their bank's wire transfer department directly, not the general customer service line, and request a wire recall immediately.
- Inform them to file a complaint at ic3.gov right away. The FBI's Recovery Asset Team initiated 3,900 wire recovery actions in 2025 with a 58% success rate, but that success rate depends on speed.
- Help them notify the title company and everyone else on the transaction so they can flag the account and preserve records.
Do these in this order and do them immediately. Every hour that passes reduces the odds of getting the funds back.
Other Scams to Watch For
- Unsolicited referral texts. A text from an unfamiliar number offering a lead in exchange for a commission split or an upfront fee. Treat it the way you'd treat a cold email: verify the sender independently before responding and never click an embedded link.
- Title company email scams. Look closely at the sender's actual email address, not just the display name. A single altered character is the usual tell, and it's how most fake title company and lender emails get past a quick glance.
- Requests over unsecured channels. Any request for Social Security numbers, account numbers or wiring details sent over regular text or unencrypted email should move to a secure, verified channel before you respond.
Security Measures to Protect Against Personal and Cyber Risk
The cybersecurity practices for real estate agents in this part are what stop a stalker from taking over your accounts, and what stop a fraudster from compromising the email your clients trust.
Multi-Factor Authentication, Done Right
Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere it's offered, starting with email. Not all MFA is equally strong:
- Authenticator apps (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy) generate a code on your device rather than sending it over text, which makes them meaningfully more resistant to SIM-swapping, a technique where a criminal convinces your phone carrier to move your number to their device and intercepts your text codes.
- FIDO2 security keys are the strongest widely available option: a small physical key, standards-based, phishing-resistant, and password less. It's the closest thing to unhackable that ordinary MFA currently offers.
If you only do one thing from this section this week, turn on an authenticator app for your primary email account.
Passwords and Security Questions
Use a password manager and a different password for every account, especially between your email, your banking, and your MLS login. A single reused password is how one compromised account becomes five.
And revisit the security-question point from earlier in this guide: the answers you'd give to "what was your first car" shouldn't be publicly guessable from your own social media.
Learn better ways to protect your online presence with passwords: Passwords Are Key to Cyber Security
Secure Your Wi-Fi and Your Devices
Never enter wiring instructions, client financial details or account passwords over open public Wi-Fi, at a coffee shop, an open house or anywhere else. Use your phone's own hotspot instead.
At open houses specifically, watch for a "Guest Wi-Fi" network that isn't the one the venue actually provides; spoofed networks with legitimate-sounding names are a known trick for intercepting whatever you send.
Turn on automatic updates for your phone, laptop and your CRM or transaction management software, and don't defer them repeatedly. An unpatched device is one of the most common ways criminals get into an account in the first place, MFA or not.
Before you click any link in a text or email, check the actual sender address, not just the display name, and watch for urgency ("act now," "your account will be closed"). When in doubt, don't click. Go to the site directly instead.
Protect Client Data
Over the course of a transaction, you'll likely hold Social Security numbers, copies of government ID and financial documents belonging to someone else. That's not just a privacy courtesy, it's a responsibility you carry on their behalf. Keep a dedicated business email and accounts separate from your personal logins, so a phishing attempt aimed at your personal accounts can't become a doorway into a client's file.
Video Calls and Remote Meetings
Use a background filter to keep personal photos, calendars and mail off-screen during video calls. When you're not on a call, cover your webcam. Anything visible in your background, a calendar with your schedule, a piece of mail with your address, a family photo, is exactly the kind of detail covered earlier in this guide under what a stranger can find about you online. A video call just delivers it live.
Security Checklist: Do This Today
These REALTOR® safety tips take five minutes each, and the point is doing them before you need them.
- Turn on an authenticator app (not text codes) for your primary email
- Search your own name and city, and request removal from at least one data-broker site
- Check your state real estate license lookup for what address is publicly listed
- Set up a password manager and change any reused passwords on email, banking and MLS
- Move personal photos, location tags and family content to a locked, personal-only account
- Set up location sharing with one trusted colleague, ready to use at your next showing
- Save your bank's direct wire department number in your phone, separate from general customer service
- Tell your next client, before they ask, that wiring instructions never change by email
- Put a webcam cover on your laptop
FAQ
What Percentage of Realtors Fear for Their Safety?
In 2024, 22% of residential Realtors reported a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or the safety of their personal information, according to NAR's 2024 Member Safety Residential Report. Among women, that figure was 25%. Among men, it was 12%.
How Common is Wire Fraud in Real Estate?
It's common and growing. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded $275.1 million in real estate fraud losses across 12,368 complaints in 2025, up from $173 million in 2024 and $145 million in 2023.
What Is Seller Impersonation Fraud?
Seller impersonation fraud happens when a criminal poses as the legitimate owner of a property, usually one that's vacant or not owner-occupied, in order to sell it without the real owner's knowledge. A 2024 ALTA and ndp | analytics study found 28% of title insurance companies experienced at least one attempt in 2023.
How Do I Verify Wire Instructions Are Legitimate?
Call the party who sent the instructions using a phone number you already had on file before the transaction, never a number listed in the email itself. Tools like CertifID can independently verify wiring details and the identity behind them before funds move.
What Is "Victim Shopping"?
"Victim shopping" is a term coined by behavioral criminologist Lee Goldstein, founder of Real Safe Agent, to describe how predators research and select real estate professionals as targets before making contact, often using publicly available photos and social media to judge who appears vulnerable or easy to approach.
How Does Caller ID Spoofing Work?
Caller ID spoofing lets a caller make almost any phone number appear on your screen, including numbers that look local, familiar, or legitimate, according to the FTC. It's a tool used in both wire fraud and cyberstalking, and it means an incoming call's displayed number is never proof of who's actually calling.
Can Someone Guess My Security Questions From My Social Media?
Yes. The FTC has warned that scammers use online quizzes and personal posts to collect answers to common account-recovery questions, like your first pet's name or your childhood nickname. Treat those details the way you'd treat a password.
Can Someone Find My Address From My Real Estate License?
Possibly, depending on your state. Many state real estate license lookups are public record, and some display a business or mailing address on file. Check your own state board's public search, and if the state allows it, list a business address rather than your home address.
What Is a FIDO2 Security Key?
A FIDO2 security key is a small physical device used for multi-factor authentication. It's standards-based, phishing-resistant, and password less, and it's currently the strongest widely available form of MFA for protecting an account.
What Should I Do If I Suspect Wire Fraud?
Call your bank's wire transfer department directly, not general customer service, and request an immediate recall. File a complaint at ic3.gov right away. Notify the title company so they can flag the receiving account. Speed matters: recovery odds drop fast, and the effective window is hours, not days.
Learn more ways to protect yourself and your transactions:
4 Vital Coverages Small Businesses Should Consider
How Hackers Derail Transactions with Lookalike Email Domains
Stay Alert: Here are Ways Cyber Attackers Target Real Estate Transactions