Realtor Safety 911

This is an alert from the Georgia Association of Realtors from this past week -

Agent Alert: Several Female REALTORS® Report Suspicious Phone Calls
05/12/2008

Numerous calls from female agents in the Dalton area have reported a suspicious man requesting to be shown vacant homes without the owners present. The calls have been coming from 706-459-8502 and the caller has used the names Terrance McCain, Shane Morgan and Rodney Brock to identify himself. The first known call was on 4/8 and some agents believe he has contacted them by email.

In addition to the suspicious calls, another female agent showed a vacant, isolated house to a suspicious man driving a green Maxima who had called from a 459 number. When the agent arrived at the house, the car was backed up behind the house in a strange area. The agent had her son with her who also thought something was eerie about the man. The man stayed behind the agent and tried to lock the front door after they entered the house and did lock the kitchen door. The agent left as quickly as possible and the man told her maybe he would be seeing her soon. The man was tall, slender, had dirty black hair and very dirty clothes.

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When someone calls and wants to see only vacant homes, that should be a red flag right there. We understand some people are looking for vacant homes, the transactions can move faster and there is no worry about the seller wanting to stay in the home after the closing. It is these types of calls that you have to be extremely careful. If someone calls and wants to see vacant homes, take precautions. Have another agent with you. Have a friend or spouse with you. Make sure that someone and your office knows where you are and what homes you will be showing. Check in often with your office, friends and family and have them check in with you also. In today’s times, we can never be too careful and if the customer is upfront, they will understand. Remember, your safety is up to you!

AGENT ALERT: Suspicious Client
01/28/2008

A Gwinnett agent was holding an open house at 1056 Eagles Ridge Court in Whitehawk subdivision (off of Tab Roberts) in Lawrenceville on Sunday, Jan. 27 2008. A man showed up and told the agent that he had been in jail twice for raping real estate agents. Though she was scared, she was not physically harmed. The man stayed at the home for over an hour (she got him to go outside), and identified himself as Jeffrey Shumate. He was in his mid thirties, Caucasian, heavy set, had a crew cut, was about 5’ 6”. He wore a black biker’s jacket and was driving an older white Buick Skylark. He told the agent that he “went after” the last agent who reported him to the police.

AGENTS BEWARE! He made a point to tell the agent that he looks for open houses.

A complaint was filed with the Gwinnett County Police.

AGENT ALERT: Suspicious Client
01/28/2008

A Gwinnett agent was holding an open house at 1056 Eagles Ridge Court in Whitehawk subdivision (off of Tab Roberts) in Lawrenceville on Sunday, Jan. 27 2008. A man showed up and told the agent that he had been in jail twice for raping real estate agents. Though she was scared, she was not physically harmed. The man stayed at the home for over an hour (she got him to go outside), and identified himself as Jeffrey Shumate. He was in his mid thirties, Caucasian, heavy set, had a crew cut, was about 5’ 6”. He wore a black biker’s jacket and was driving an older white Buick Skylark. He told the agent that he “went after” the last agent who reported him to the police.

AGENTS BEWARE! He made a point to tell the agent that he looks for open houses.

A complaint was filed with the Gwinnett County Police.

Recent Agent Alerts

AGENT ALERT: Agent Attacked in DeKalb 11/27/2007

A REALTOR® was attacked in an empty home in DeKalb County on November 27,2007, off LaVista Road. The perpetrator attempted to sexually assault the woman, who fought him until he ran away. The house had a lockbox on it, and the victim is unsure if the man was already in the house when she arrived or if he followed her in. The attacker is described as a Hispanic male wearing a blue jacket. The police are currently investigating the crime.

Agent Alerts

SUSPICIOUS POTENTIAL CLIENT - Braselton - Posted on 12/10/07
An agent in Braselton received a call from a female who identified herself as Angela Davidson, stating that she and her husband were from out of town (Kansas City) and looking at homes in Hamilton Mill area. The caller stated that they had narrowed it down to a few and pressed for a meeting the same day.

The REALTOR® arranged a meeting with the couple at a local gas station. The caller was insistent that the REALTOR® meet her at 5:00 p.m. When she did not see another car at the gas station, the REALTOR® called the couple, who described their car as a Black Mercedes with no license tag, and let them know that she was there, along with a male colleague. The couple never showed up, and when the REALTOR® tried to call back several times, there was no answer and a voicemail was not set up.

REALTOR® ATTACKED - Atlanta (Tucker) - Posted on 11/30/07
On Tuesday, November 27, a REALTOR® was attacked an empty home in DeKalb County off LaVista Road. The perpetrator attempted to sexually assault the woman, who fought him until he ran away. The house had a lockbox on it, and the victim is unsure if the man was already in the house when she arrived or if he followed her in. The attacker is described as a Hispanic male wearing a blue jacket. The police are currently investigating the crime.

CON MAN POSING AS CLIENT - Atlanta - Posted on 11/08/07
Authorities in Cherokee, Cobb and north Fulton counties are warning people about a con man posing as a wealthy home buyer in order to steal valuables from the homes. Sandy Springs Police said the suspect David Newton, 48, took a $5,000 necklace from one home he scoping out. Police believe the suspect may have been scamming real estate agents in the metro Atlanta area and stealing from homes since July. He claims he’s moving to metro Atlanta from New Jersey and has his own plane. The man was last seen driving a maroon 2004 Honda Accord with New Jersey license plates.
UPDATE FROM WEST METRO BOARD - Posted on 11/09/07
A man from New Jersey is posing as a high priced buyer. He has worked with an agent from the West Metro Board for the past two weeks and now the situation is being investigated by the police. The man’s name is David Newton but goes by the false name David Flynn. He has been targeting Cherokee and Sandy Springs markets, and now seems to have hit Douglas & Carroll. He drives a maroon Honda with a New Jersey tag.

STRANGE PHONE CALL REPORTED - Albany - Posted on 11/08/07
The Albany Board reported a strange phone call that one of their brokers received recently. A man called the broker’s office and referred to an employee by name and said he was going to be sending a wire transfer to their business account that day and that he needed to get the necessary banking information. By coincidence, one of the brokers in the office was scheduled to have a closing on the same day that involved a wire transfer so the call did not seem suspicious at the time.

The broker who was going to have the wire transfer answered the phone and asked for the caller’s name. He answered Mike Higgins. The broker then asked what the call was regarding and his reply was that it is personal. The broker asked if it was about a real estate transaction and he said yes, that it was for a down payment but said he couldn’t give the address. The broker then told the caller that she couldn’t give him that information and he hung up quickly.

The number in question is 201-373-8336 under the name Mike Higgins. The broker called the number back and a machine picked up indicating the call had been made from a telemarketing firm.

Dont Let this be You! Alert from the Georgia Association of Realtors

AGENT ALERT: Agent Attacked in DeKalb

11/27/2007

On Tuesday, November 27, a REALTOR® was attacked at an empty home in DeKalb County off LaVista Road. The perpetrator attempted to sexually assault the woman, who fought him until he ran away. The house had a lockbox on it, and the victim is unsure if the man was already in the house when she arrived or if he followed her in. The attacker is described as a Hispanic male wearing a blue jacket. The police are currently investigating the crime.