When Agents Click Other Agents’ Facebook Ads: A Bad Practice That Poisons the Industry

When Agents Click Other Agents' Facebook Ads: A Bad Practice That Poisons the Industry

There is an ugly behaviour quietly spreading in the property industry. Most agents know it exists—but few talk about it openly.

One agent runs a Facebook ad, usually a Direct-to-WhatsApp campaign. Another agent sees the ad. Then this happens:

They click the ad.
They pretend to be a buyer.
They ask for the brochure or project information.
They disappear.

Later, they use that same information to brief their own customer, contact the developer directly, and close the deal—without co-broking.

The advertising agent pays the bill. The opportunistic agent takes the deal.

This is not "smart." It is unethical, short-sighted, and destructive.

The First Violation: Burning Budgets

Let's be clear about the financial damage. In a Direct-to-WhatsApp campaign, the advertiser is charged the moment you click.

That click costs money (often RM15–RM30 per lead).

Cost Per Lead (CPL) increases.

Campaign optimization is polluted by bad data.

That traffic was not free. It was paid demand. By pretending to be a buyer, you are not just collecting information—you are burning someone else's wallet.

The Second Violation: False Identity

Requesting information as a fake buyer is deception. You are:

Misrepresenting intent.
Extracting proprietary marketing material.
Exploiting professional courtesy.

This is not "competitive intelligence." This is an impersonation. If you wouldn't walk into an agent's office and lie to their face, you shouldn't do it digitally either.

The Third Violation: Stealing the Demand

After collecting the information, the worst behaviour follows:

You contact the developer directly.
You bring your customer.
You cut out the agent who generated the demand.

This violates the most basic professional principle in real estate: Whoever creates the demand deserves respect. You did not generate the interest. You intercepted it.

The Absurd Irony: You Could Have Just Asked

Here's the irony most "clever" agents miss: If you had just been honest, you would probably have gotten the deal legitimately.

All it takes is a simple message:

"Hi, I'm [Name] from [Agency]. I saw your ad for this project — looks good. Can you share the info? If I have a customer, can we co-broke?"

Most advertising agents will say YES. Why?

They want real buyers.
They respect transparency.
Co-broking is normal.

You chose deception—and lost trust for nothing.

The Root Problem: No Respect for Cost

Agents who do this usually share one trait: They have never spent their own money on ads.

They don't understand:

Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC).
Lead wastage.
The pain of campaign optimisation.

Once you've burned RM5,000 of your own money on ads, you stop doing things like this.

How Advertisers Can Stop This Nonsense (3 Practical Fixes)

If you are tired of burning the budget on "spy agents," here is how to fight back.

Exclusion Audiences (Technical Fix) In Facebook Ads Manager, hide your ads from competitors. In the "Audience" section, exclude:

Behaviours: Facebook Page Admins → Real Estate Page Admins.

Job Titles: Property Agent, Real Estate Negotiator, Broker.

Employers: [Type in the names of major local agencies]. This alone removes a large portion of agent clicks.

No-Brochure Auto-Reply (Behaviour Filter) Never auto-send brochures immediately. Instead, ask a qualifying question:

"Thanks for enquiring. To send the right layout, are you buying for own stay or investment?" Fake buyers avoid replying. Real buyers respond. No reply = No brochure.