Up to 400% of Fake Websites in Real Estate Industry, reveals a study by mFilterIt

New Delhi, July 26, 2022: mFilterIt, a global fraud detection and prevention company, on Wednesday released its study on the reality of digital frauds in the real estate industry. The study found out that a prominent Real Estate player had up to 400% of fake websites created by fraudsters, revealing the menace in digital platforms of the industry. 

The study brought out that a prominent real estate player had a total of 387 fake/misrepresentation websites, using the brand’s name unauthorisedly and even incorporating the names of the projects. The study further revealed that to receive more traffic on fake websites, the fraudsters were using unethical practices like bidding on other brands and project keywords on search engines. Around 297 fake websites were bidding on 31 other brand keywords, and 90 fake websites were bidding on other 41 project keywords to attract more visitors to fraud customers. Bidding on keywords is a paid activity available on the search engine to optimize the searchability of a particular website on the web.

Amit Relan, CEO & Co-Founder, mFilterIt said “Today the issue of digital fraud is a growing threat across industries. However, our study in the real estate sector surprised us with its magnitude and considering the industry also registers high-value transactions, it’s a matter of great concern. We have been working with clients in this sector and it’s heartening to see that brands are becoming more responsible, but we believe much more needs to be done by all stakeholders including government and other industry bodies.”