10 Ways To Tell If A Client Is a Fraud...

Have you ever wasted time with clients that were only out to dupe you?

10 Ways To Tell If A Client Is a Fraud...

Have you ever been scammed? Have you ever wasted time with clients that were only out to dupe you? I've seen so many things over the years. Have your clients ever told you any of these things? If so, RUN!!!!

       Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? If they do, RUN!

(1)  I’m waiting for money to be transferred from an international bank. It’s being held up because of the Patriot Act. All the paperwork is in. It should be available any day now.

(2)  Can I meet with you and explain my situation? Then they meet with you and have a family member look at the house (again) because they are so excited to move there. In the meeting, they tell you everything that has gone wrong in their lives & career and why they are where they are and at any moment their ship is going to come in and they WILL purchase this home.

(3)  I’m representing my pastor or some other church official or the money will be coming from church funds - or I am purchasing the church in town and will begin my ministry here. I need a home to live in while I get everything going.

(4)  I’m closing on a big deal and I will get commission or payout any day now. 

(5)  God Bless you. My wife and I pray for you. You are a true blessing in our lives.

(6)  My girlfriend will kill me if I don’t get this house for her. Don’t give up on me, I will get this for my girlfriend for sure! 

(7)  Don’t worry about those details, I’ve taken care of them. This is not a typical transaction.
(8)  Don’t tell me how to do it, I’m a broker! (Ouch that hurts, but I’ve seen/heard it too many times).

(9)  We are waiting for our Trustees to give us the go ahead. It should be any day now. In the meantime, I need you to do. (1) (2) (3) (4)…

(10) I don’t need proof of funds…. I’m good for it. Go ahead and submit the offer now.

SORRY, I COULDN’T STOP AT 10…

(11) While we are waiting for our ship to come in, would you mind showing my kids one more (actually 12!) time(s)? They are so excited to buy this house.
(12) I’m a big shot. I have this investment, that investment, that goldmine, that oilwell. I have “x” patents pending. I’m rich. Would you like to see everything that I do?

(13) I really need to make this deal happen. My wife’s heart/health is bad and she needs to move now. She may die if we don’t get this done now.

(14) I’ll talk to the bank and title company for you.  You don’t need to.  I know them well and they will do what I tell them.

(15) Look at my jewelry (I loved the postage stamp sized cubic zirconium).  Look at my expensive clothing.  Or just look at what I drive! (Or they park around the corner so you cannot see what they drive.) I love the discussions about their Maserati's or Ferrari's and how their agents talk about their clients shipping them to where they are traveling to so they can drive them. Those are usually the agents who "pick up the client" and bring them to the showing - so no one ever sees the cars that they truly do drive!

(16) Trust me. Believe me. My word is as good as my bond. To tell you the truth… Ok, I’ll be honest with you. Are you questioning my integrity?

(17) This is our little secret. I don’t want my wife/husband to know about this.

(18) Can you meet me at this ridiculous hour or holiday?

(19) Oh, this house is perfect  (even though they have only seen one room) – how soon can we close?  I will put my grandmother’s antique chest here, I’ll have my horses shipped here from Oregon as soon as we close. (In Arizona’s 116 degree weather – right). 

(20) I need you to do this right now (10pm).  It cannot wait (until 8am) . In essence, I’m more important than anything or anyone else right NOW!

(21) I don’t want a lender to know my financial position. I don’t want my credit pulled or my credit will go down. I have the highest credit score on the planet. It couldn’t get any higher than mine.

(22) I’m related to so and so. (In other words, "I’m just as important as they are".)

(23) I am so grateful I met you. You have put so much time and effort into helping me. Thank you. In fact, you have provided a wealth of information that I would be lost without; however, I think I’ll have my wife’s cousin’s uncle’s best friend’s dog sell it for me. Thanks anyway….

Do any of these statements sound familiar to you? If they do, RUN! You may have encountered a potential scam artist (fraud).

(24) Have you heard about my new book? I am going to be big! It's going to be made into a movie.

(25) Did you know that I have a movie coming out next year? I'm big into the Hollywood scene and I know so and so and so and so. So and so is quite the character.

(26) I've been picked up by an agent and they are re-locating me to this city because I'm cutting my first record next month - even though I'll be flying back and forth to LA to work. My agent told me to go buy a home here so I'm now looking for a multi-million dollar home even though I'm not out of high school yet! Here - listen to my original music on my Facebook page...

(27) We finally have our investors in place. They will be getting together soon to put the final touches on the paperwork for the attorneys and to discuss these huge purchases. I need to be ready for them. I need, I need, I need...

(28) I've had a vision. I'm psychic. I know that I'm supposed to buy this house. I've had premonitions about this house, this neighborhood, this Realtor, this...

(29) The super luxurious hotel in town messed up our reservation and since we want to buy your home anyways, would it be okay if we spent the night there and do a test run and then we can put the deal together in the morning? Other owners have offered that to us since the rotten hotel in town messed up our dream vacation, but it's your home that we really want to buy... ZZZzzzzz...

(30) I patented this incredible product/idea... it's going to make me millions if not billions of dollars, but (of course) show me these super luxury homes now because when it happens, I want to have already gone through the selection process. Since all I need is an airport, I can work from anywhere, but I really want to settle on a home now and be done with that and check it off my historically long list of things to do.

(31) I'm off to Monaco tomorrow. We just came from Dubai and we are in the middle of doing deals in this country or this city or this industry - look at me go!!!

(32) Commentarily speaking, I always feel bad for the "new wife" who is in the picture (3 years or less usually) and has bought into the ridiculousness -- hook, line and sinker.

(33) I always feel bad too for the scam artist's unsuspecting Realtor too. I've seen them get sucked in so deep and for so long, it has caused financial problems and eventually marital problems.

(34) Lookey Loos are not necessarily scam artists. But the easiest way to tell a Lookey Loo, in my opinion, is when they look you in the eye and start chatting. They continue to make eye contact while conversing or they look down and don't look around to notice the details of the home. That's when you can walk and talk all the way to the front door!

(35) I love when the buyers agent will give me the name of the client and when I google that person, their website is "under construction" or they have a super common name that you cannot find them!

(36) My favorite clue is: When they cannot afford the home, they absolutely "oooo and ahhh" and "gooo" all over every detail of the home for hours! They even ask for a tape measure and start making plans to move walls or add on. If they CAN afford the home, it's about negotiating & acquiring the home, not about themselves or their extravagant lifestyles.

(37) My client just told me about this one - and it was so good I had to add it.... "My check is on my phone!" With auto deposits, these frauds are showing a picture of a check that they supposedly are mailing to you or depositing into your checking account. Ya right! They need a better excuse than something with such a short fuze .... BOOM! Out of time!

(38) "Let me take you to dinner and thank you for all your time and effort - you've really gone out of your way to show me around and take day after day away from your other clients and family. We really want to thank you." Tick, tock, now that you are finishing your meal, they say, "Thanks for introducing us to your favorite restaurant and since this is your hangout and you know the owners personally, I'm sure you don't mind picking up the tab! Bye!"

(39) I'm a wedding photographer and this would be the perfect place for photos! Oh, and I like to entertain, so these large spaces would be incredible for entertaining and taking photos! Oh, Oh, Oh! (Oh No! - Run.)

(40) I have a business idea and I think this will be perfect.

(41) I wanna show my wife, my ex-wife, their kids, their grandkids, their cousins, my cousins, and anyone else who would like to meet us. Can you show me/us again?

(42) I wanna take photos of absolutely everything so I can remember what I've seen (as if the MLS high resolution professional photos, the YouTube Video, panoramas and individual property website etc. just aren't enough)!

(43) I'm waiting for the US President to approve the release of my money (I have patents that the government owes me for) and the president will be signing the release any day now - I have the top ranked attorneys on it.

(44) As soon as my jet sells, I'll be purchasing this home. Oh the last time I checked, houses sell faster than jets!

I hope that some of these ideas will help you avoid the pitfalls that a scam artist can put any of us in! It's no fun when you realize you have been duped!

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Have You Ever Wasted Time With Clients That Were Only Out To Dupe You? 10 Ways To Tell If A Client Is a Fraud...