Reports in the press reveal that Rightmove,the UKs largest agent only portal may have become victim to a premium rate phone number scam.
Estate Agents that pay hundreds of pounds to list with the portal have reportedly received numerous leads that appear to be fake.
Rightmove Spokesperson said: Over the last few days, some Rightmove member agents have received a Rightmove email enquiry asking them to contact a premium rate phone number.
To safeguard our members, when a Rightmove enquiry contains a premium rate phone number such as those starting 076 or 070, a clear red warning is displayed on the email enquiry alerting agents to be careful, and we also include advice on how to avoid common scams.
Rightmove has attracted controversy lately,as Scott Forbes, who has been Rightmove’s chairman since 2005, sold 300,000 shares at an average price of £23.50. He retained 319,300 shares in the 14-year-old company, which has a market value of £2.3 bn.
The share sale comes as Rightmove is facing increasing competition from its main rival Zoopla which is planning to float on the stock market next month and estate agents setting up their own property portal.
Rightmove shares fell yesterday on concerns about pressure to control overheating in the housing market: they lost 81p (3.5%) to close at £22.10p.
Nick Marr
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