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The Legal Affairs Department for the National Association of REALTORS® offers numerous best practices for preventing scams, hacks and loss of data as well as recovery if members and their clients fall victim to one of these situations.

REALTORS® can login and get the NAR Data Security and Privacy Toolkit for best practices regarding emails, transactions, business procedures and damage control. Some suggestions from the toolkit include:

• Use encrypted email;
• Never trust contact information from unverified emails;
• Use strong passwords and change them frequently;
• Make sure all parties use secure email procedures for transactions;
• If wiring money, call intended recipients immediately prior to verify wiring instructions;
• Develop and enforce policies for ensuring data security; and
• Avoid storing clients’ personally identifiable information any longer than necessary.

The toolkit also provides a link to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.