Stepped-Up Security Side Effects Sometimes, you just want to know if the lender has scheduled the appraisal. Unfortunately, in today’s environment of heightened online security, that can mean formally registering at the lender’s “portal”; waiting for a temporary password via text; then navigating an unfamiliar format to find the document(s) you’re looking for. Or, if...Read More
At least a few Edina Realty agents (myself included) were treated — if that’s the word — to a new phishing scam this morning: an email with an attachment labeled “voice message,” from an outfit named “socialmsp.com.” The tip-off that something was amiss? The attachment was a “Word” document, not the usual audio file. After...Read More
New Document Distribution Model: “Come & Get It” “Ransomware Attack Raises Concerns Over Future Assaults” –Headline, The NYT (June 28, 2017). Both professionally (as a Realtor) and as an investor (401k, etc.), it’s apparent to me how big organizations intend to safeguard valuable information from increasingly aggressive and sophisticated hackers. Step #1: lock it up in...Read More
Buyer’s Agent Beware [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Thanks to heightened concerns about the security of online data, Minnesota Realtors are no longer supposed to scan and email copies of Buyers’ earnest money checks when...Read More
