Agent cops industry fury after rival exposes fake sales, reviews
Byrony O'Neill of Byrony O'Neill Estate Agents is at the centre of an online storm whipped up by a rival agent accusing her of posting false information about her competitors to win clients and gain search traffic.
But Ms O'Neill, who sells multi-million dollar properties in Brisbane's inner west, says the content was posted without her knowledge, and it has since been removed.
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Brett Andreassen of Plum Property has posted a YouTube video and social media post claiming Ms O'Neill is providing disinformation to the public for personal gain in a move labelled as 'the scandal of the industry'.
'It was brought to our attention that a prominent agent in Toowong has been creating pages on their website about their competitors — not just me, complete with fake sales, fake reviews, fake testimonials,' Mr Andreassen says in the video.
'This is not about competition; this is about transparency. This is calling out blatant lies when an agent creates pages on their website with fake sales, fake reviews about their competitors to try and trick clients and customers... that agent has done the wrong thing by their clients and elevate their own reputation in the community — this needs to be called out.'
Plum Property real estate agent Brett Andreassen speaking on a YouTube video about what he claims is disinformation on Byrony O'Neill's website. Image: YouTube.
Mr Andreassen provided screenshots of information from what he claims were 18 pages containing fake sales, reviews, and testimonials on Byrony O'Neill's website.
The pages have since been removed from the website, but links to archives of each page are in the description of Mr Andreassen's video.
One testimonial states; ''Brett's negotiation skills and proactive communication made the process easy,' says one client. Another review notes, 'Great result, but Byrony O'Neill is highly recommended by many locals.''
'That's a strange quote from a client who used my services then said we're going to use someone else. I can look back through my career and say that's never happened,' Mr Andreassen said.
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Under that testimonial are a number of addresses of properties purported to have been sold by Mr Andreassen, including 3/22 Jephson St, Toowong in April 2025.
'I didn't sell that property, particularly in April 2025. Then I looked it up. There is no 3/22 Jephson St, Toowong,' he said.
'Can you see what's happening here? Fake sales are being put under my name.'
He then noted similar fake testimonials and sales were listed for 18 other agents in the area also listed on Ms O'Neill's website, including identical 'complaints' sections and unverified quotes from clients who are quoted as promoting Byrony.
Each agent also has a small group of fake sales, either for properties that do not exist, are in different suburbs, are units instead of houses, were not sold, or were sold at a different time for a different price.
Mr Andreassen said he stumbled across the findings when he googled his name and the word 'reviews'.
The video is creating quite a stir in the real estate community.
One commented: 'Has she called you yet to say sorry? You know, picking up the phone. Maybe we should all call her today to let her know we aren't very happy with this conduct.'
Another says: 'Office of Fair Trading needs to hear about this.' And another: 'This is the scandal of the industry for sure!' 'This is disgusting! Good work uncovering this!!'
Alex Frew, the founder of 3P Digital, took to Mr Andreassen's Instagram post to respond to the allegations, claiming full responsibility in a comment.
'We're reaching out regarding recent concerns about inaccurate content that appeared on Byrony O'Neill's website. These pages were created and published by one of our team members at 3P Digital as part of a programmatic SEO initiative. Byrony had given us full autonomy to manage this process, and she was not consulted on or made aware of the specific suburb sales or complaint data that was included. She did not give permission for this content to be published.'
'Byrony only became aware of the issue after receiving a phone call from an agent who had seen a public post about it around 7 pm on 27 July. She notified us immediately, and by 3 am on 28 July, all pages in question had been taken down.
'We take full responsibility for this error. The data used in the SEO strategy was incorrect and its inclusion was a mistake. The staff member responsible is being managed internally, and we've since updated our internal checks to prevent this from happening again.'
Ms O'Neill has since released a statement apologising to those impacted.
'I unreservedly apologise to anyone this has impacted,' it states.
'I've been in real estate for more than 21 years, and this is not who I am or how my company operates.
'I engaged a third party to manage all my IT requirements, and this content was created without my knowledge or my approval. The IT company has confirmed this in their public statements.
'I was furious when I was informed, and the pages were taken down immediately.'
Mr Andreassen said he had been contacted by the Office of Fair Trading and had approached the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), as well as informing other affected agents about the matter.
His concern is that the information on Ms O'Neill's website could dissuade clients from using one of the agents mentioned, which could constitute a loss of business for that agent. He also claims the incorrect sale prices listed could result in agents being accused of underselling.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) CEO Antonia Mercorella saidthe REIQ recommended agents lodge complaints to the industry regulator, the Office of Fair Trading, if they believed competitors were acting in a potentially unlawful manner.
'Real estate is an extremely competitive industry, particularly between businesses that specialise in the same practice or local areas,' Ms Mercorella said.
'Significant amounts of money, time and resources are invested in building a brand and reputation in the real estate industry, and many consumers do consider and place trust in reviews when selecting a real estate professional to act on their behalf.'
Ms Mercorella said there were strict laws governing real estate in Queensland, as well as federal consumer laws, and it was important real estate professionals were cautious when it came to their own promotional activities, reviews, and representations.
'We understand in this increasingly digital world, online marketing tactics such as search engine optimisation are vital in keeping ahead of the pack, and we support agents promoting their own achievements,' she said.
'In doing so, integrity and honesty must remain at the core of all professional conduct.'
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