Realtor® safety: Are you and your data an easy target?

As September marks Realtor® Safety Month, real estate professionals are being reminded to take caution at work, home and play in an effort to stay safe.

According to Andrew Wooten, crime-prevention expert and president of S.A.F.E., the last 12 months were the most dangerous for Realtors®. “I’ve been teaching safety since 1986, and last year was the most violent year I’ve ever seen in the industry,” he said.

“The majority of attacks on real estate professionals in 2011 occurred in the afternoons on Thursday or Friday,” said Wooten. “A lot of times, we are busy preparing before the weekend for an open house or to meet a client and unfortunately, our guard goes down. We quit paying attention to the warning signs.”

As part of Realtor® Safety Month, Wooten teamed up with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) to present “Are You & Your Data an Easy Target?”, a free safety webinar highlighting workplace personal and data safety.

He offers several safety tips:

Workplace violence

According to Wooten, guns are used in roughly 50 percent of the attacks on real estate professionals. “Decrease the chances of bad things happening to you,” he said. “If someone ever points a gun at you, give them everything they want, but get out of there as soon as you can. When you walk to your car, always glance over your shoulder. Criminals tell me if a potential victim can see them, they will wait until the next person.”

Workplace theft

“Not all of us work in large office buildings. A lot of us work in a single office building with one or two people. How many times do we leave our office front door unlocked or open as we walk down the hall to get a cup of coffee or to use the restroom, and our purse or laptop is sitting out in the open? This is what the criminals of today are looking for,” said Wooten.

Financial assets

Wooten recommends real estate professionals keep their filing cabinets locked at all times. “Can you walk into a bank and open their filing cabinets? You can walk into almost any real estate office and access their files. If your files are open and exposed to the public, they are vulnerable to theft,” he said.

Brand protection

“Go to Google.com and type in your name to see what comes up,” recommends Wooten. “If nothing comes up on page one, go to page two or three. When was the last time you Googled yourself? When you give people your business card, the first thing they will do is go home and Google you. Set up a Google alert so anytime your company name hits the Internet, you will notified.”

Electronic data theft

“Make sure you run a virus protection program on your computer at least once a day,” Wooten said. “Make sure it’s scanning everything. Even a basic free virus protection program can catch viruses and kill them.”

Data safety and security

Wooten suggests real estate professionals take stock of information they no longer need and have it shredded. “How many times do we have files from employees 30 years ago? Just keep what’s necessary,” he said.

“You are your best weapon, your mind, voice and body,” concludes Wooten. “Listen and trust your inner voice. It is the best weapon you have.”