Selling Agents scam?

I have some farmland close to an exit of a motorway. It has come to my attention that a neighbouring parcel of land is for sale for over €500,000 per acre. The vendor claims the land has planning permission. I have searched the relevant local authority database and can find no reference to a similar piece of land having acquired permission for planning. I hope to speak to a planning technician soon to get to the bottom of this but it really is a mystery for now.

It is my suspicion that the property agent is using this ad to 'sex up' their portfolio & attract clients... Are such practices common?

You can't be sure it is a scam yet. You could pose as a buyer and ask for copies of the planning docs. Or have someone else ( eg a friend, relative or even your solicitor) do it for you.