Two leading social media and property experts have shed light on the likely reasons behind the departure of Knight Frank star estate agent Daniel Daggers after he posted pictures of a client’s house on Instagram without permission.
Like many Instagram stars working in the super-prime global property market, Daggers posted pictures showing both multi-million pounds property for sale and starry clients on a regular basis via his account.
But while they might look friendly at the parties Daggers attended, his clients are viciously protective of their privacy and it is this desire to control their presence online that most likely helped scupper the Knight Frank agent in the end.
One person who should know is Peter Sheehan of buying agency The London Resolution (left).
“We have self-made billionaires as part of our clientele,” he says. “They’re smart because, despite their fortune, they keep a very low profile.
“If they walked past you in the street you would have no idea who they were or how much you could take from them.
“It is not the job of a property agent to start publishing details of the inside of their homes.”
But being savvy is only part of the picture. High net worth individuals are also paranoid about security, and for good reason. Several have been targeted recently by burglars who have sought to exploit ‘generation overshare’ and track down their victims’ movements and addresses.
The most high-profile example is Tamara Ecclestone, who had jewellery worth £50 million stolen from her home in December last year.
“The internet is a fantastic source of information that can be used against the homeowners,” says Simon Giddins of security and intelligence firm Blackstone Consultancy.
“Within the targeting phase information can be gained from online media profiles such as Instagram and Facebook.
“In most cases victims are not selected at random, instead the crime is strategically planned from start to finish beginning with the selection of a group of targets, usually following a local news piece, rumour or social media.”
The post Revealed: Why agents should be careful when posting pics on Instagram appeared first on The Negotiator.