Why Are Websites Getting So Many Spam Leads and Texts?

Heather Holliday
May 23
2 min read

If you’ve noticed a spike in spam leads on your website or an unusual number of spam texts on your phone, you’re not alone. Real estate professionals across all platforms—whether you’re using kvCORE/BoldTrail, BoomTown, Lofty, Real Geeks, or another provider—are reporting an uptick in unwanted inquiries and messages. So, what’s going on?

Let’s break it down.

📈 A Surge in Spam Activity

Over the past year, agents have reported a 30–70% increase in spam leads coming through their websites. Many are also seeing 10–20+ spam texts daily, often from suspicious Gmail accounts, foreign numbers, or untraceable shortcodes.

What’s more concerning is that this isn't tied to just one platform—it’s happening across the board.

🤖 Why Is This Happening?

1. AI-Powered Bots & Form Scraping

Spambots have evolved. Many are now powered by AI and can crawl public-facing forms—like your contact form or home valuation pages—automatically filling out and submitting fake info to flood your inbox.

2. Mass SMS Tools

Scammers use bulk text-messaging tools to blast real estate professionals. Since agents often have their contact information public on websites, directories, and MLS profiles, they're easy targets.

3. Lead Forms Are Low Barrier

Unlike platforms requiring login access, real estate lead capture forms are designed to be frictionless. That’s great for user experience—but it also means bots can easily abuse them.

4. Scams & Data Harvesting

Some spam submissions aren’t just random junk—they're part of broader scams. These fake leads might be phishing attempts, trying to get you to click a link or call back, which can compromise your data or trigger further spam.

🔒 What Can You Do About It?

While spam can’t be eliminated completely, you can take steps to reduce it significantly:

✅ Add CAPTCHA to all forms: Even simple checkbox-style CAPTCHAs can block the majority of bots.
✅ Use phone and email verification: Many platforms offer settings to require verification or flag suspicious entries.
✅ Filter known spam keywords: Watch for terms like “whats app,” nonsensical names, or repeated IP addresses.
✅ Limit access to certain pages: For example, require login for home valuation or seller lead forms.
✅ Enable CRM spam filters: Most modern platforms include tools to block leads that don’t meet basic criteria.

💬 Final Thoughts

Spam leads and texts are more than just a nuisance—they waste your time, drain your focus, and can lead to real security risks. But with a few protective measures, you can cut down the clutter and focus on what matters most: real relationships with real clients.

By allowing the system to work its magic (automated systems) you can weed out the spam and non interested leads so you can focus on income producting activities for your business!

Archive spam leads - Add a hastag / label for spam or non interested leads, then archive leads. Ex: add whatsapp label, then archive... if someone replies back to a text or email that says leave me alone, add DND, then archive. Archiving a lead allows the system to e-mail you if they come back to your website! Labeling will remind you why you archived them and allow you to make them active again (just in case they were legit)!

If you need help optimizing your website or CRM to reduce spam, reach out—we’re here to help!