September 29, 2016

AAR received a report of an individual in Tucson falsely portraying himself as a real estate licensee in an effort to enter a home listed for sale. In this case, the individual directly contacted a homeowner whose home was listed for sale, bypassing the listing agent. The caller identified himself as a real estate licensee and scheduled an appointment to view the home. When the individual failed to appear at the scheduled time, the homeowner contacted the agent’s broker, only to learn that the agent had passed away over one year ago. It was therefore clear that the caller had misrepresented himself as an agent in an attempt to gain access to the home.

Based on these events, please ensure that your sellers do not directly schedule showings without your knowledge. If concerned about the legitimacy of a caller, please contact the brokerage to confirm the identity of the agent and/or ask the agent for identification.