Vancouver Realtor fined for ‘false or misleading’ online advertising

A crane is seen at a condo development under construction as condo and office towers fill the downtown skyline in Vancouver on March 30, 2018. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

A Vancouver Realtor who billed herself as an “award winning” and “top selling” luxury agent has been fined by the professional regulator for making false or misleading statements on her website and social media platforms.

Shouxin Jiao was issued an administrative penalty of $1,000 by the B.C. Financial Services Authority earlier this year, and a notice was posted online last week.

The regulator found Jiao contravened a section of the Real Estate Services Rules that prohibits false or misleading advertising. According to the BCFSA, Jiao “failed to qualify” a number of “particulars” on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and her website.

Those included “top agent,” “Downtown Vancouver’s #1 Female Luxury Agent,” “downtown Vancouver’s #1 Female Luxury residential and commercial real estate agent” “#1 Top Selling Female Agent,” “#2 Top Selling Luxury Agent,” “Award-Winning Realtor,” and “#1 Listing Agent of $4 million+ dollar properties in Coal Harbour and of $3 million+ dollar homes in downtown Vancouver since 2015,” according to the notice.

Jiao was fined an additional $3,000 for three other contraventions related to failing to meet requirements set out for online advertising, including failing to include her brokerage name in her Instagram and X profiles.