Safety Notice

Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023

A Heartland Organization of REALTORS® Member received a suspicious phone call from a stranger today, January 19.

The person calling was providing illogical information and claiming to be from out of town, needing a car ride from the hotel and to be picked up by the agent being contacted. After being denied transportation by the agent due to their legitimate safety concerns, the caller became irate and disconnected the call. The cell phone number used is registered to the caller, but they claimed to be from “out of town.” By cross-referencing the information it was discovered that the caller is from Barrington.

The caller had used information pulled from the agent’s website when speaking to them during the qualifying process. The caller said they were looking to buy in “Northern Illinois” quickly followed by “Don’t you work there, in that area?” This detail along with other concerning pieces of the brief phone conversation indicated the information was most likely pulled directly from the agent’s website.

Additionally, the caller is suspected of having filed for bankruptcy recently and would not qualify for a mortgage anyways.

More than one red flag in this situation. Please be careful and report any suspicious activity to the appropriate channels ASAP.

As a reminder, Mainstreet offers a complimentary subscription to FOREWARN which provides comprehensive background information on clients and prospects. Click here to learn more about FOREWARN.

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