Vet Prospects, Flag Fraud & Stay Protected With Forewarn
Use the Forewarn app, a free Florida Realtors® member benefit, to conduct instant background checks on prospective clients.
For real estate professionals, what looks like an ordinary appointment can quickly take a frightening turn.
Linda Hoyt, a sales associate with ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in Fort Lauderdale, knows all too well how quickly a seemingly harmless situation can unravel.
Forewarn: FREE Member Benefit Offers Instant Background Checks
One recent situation involved a man who claimed he wanted to sell land in Parkland. “I put his number in Forewarn right away and the name didn’t match,” says Hoyt.
Forewarn is a real-time identity verification and risk assessment tool designed to enhance safety and efficiency for real estate professionals.
“There was no connection,” she explains. Since land deals often don’t require in-person meetings, she asked him to send a copy of his ID. “He sent a passport for him and his wife, and I thought, ‘Why are you sending me your passport if you live here? Why not a Florida driver’s license?’”
That raised her suspicions. She checked the tax rolls and found the actual owner’s number. Hoyt recalls: “I called the owner right away and told him, ‘Someone’s impersonating you.’ He had no idea.”
Looking back, she felt there were three red flags: How urgent the imposter’s request was, the pressure in his voice and the fact that he sent a passport. “Forewarn confirmed that he wasn’t who he said he was,” she adds.
These types of scams are becoming more common, she says, especially as remote transactions become more popular.
“I’ve sold properties to people I’ve never met,” she adds. “Everything is done electronically—e-sign, not face-to-face. These people are out there, and I could’ve listed that land and assumed it was just a mix-up. But the warning signs were there. They’re giving you the info; it’s up to you to use it.”
Here are benefits Hoyt derives from using Forewarn:
1. Background checks on the go
Hoyt handles transactions from Brevard to Palm Beach counties, with occasional business in Miami, Orlando, Sarasota and several new-construction projects in the master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch.
“The running joke is, ‘Have car, will travel,’” she says. “My business is referral-based, so I go where [buyers and sellers] need me.”
With such a broad service area, Forewarn gives Hoyt an added layer of security—especially when meeting new people in unfamiliar places. She can verify a potential client’s identity within seconds, using just a phone number. Accessible online or through the app (for iOS and Android), it pulls public records—criminal history, property ownership and financial background—to help her assess potential risks.
2. Verify every new lead
“When they were rolling out Forewarn, I thought it was genius,” she says. “Before I started using it, we didn’t have a reliable way to check people out ahead of time or verify that they actually were who they said they were.”
Now, before agreeing to meet a prospect face-to-face, she runs every new lead through Forewarn as soon as she gets their contact information.
“I put [a prospect’s] phone number in right away to see if the name matches,” she says. “Sometimes, it’ll say, ‘No contact found’ or ‘Rerun your search.’ If nothing comes up under their number, I’ll try their name to see if there’s any connection. If that turns up nothing, I’m pretty sure they’re not who they say they are. If Forewarn can’t find anything by phone or name, that’s a complete red flag. The app is great.”
3. Look past appearances
Hoyt prides herself on being good at reading people. She used to rely on instinct. “I’ve had at least five situations where something felt off, but I was lucky because I either brought someone [to a showing or meeting] with me or had someone meet me there,” she says. “One time, the guy just took off. Another time, the prospect was sweating profusely, and I never heard from him again.” Thanks to Forewarn, she no longer relies on luck alone. “I don’t just check the tax rolls; I look for criminal history or anything that might raise a red flag. It’s a huge benefit for women because, unfortunately, we are more likely to be targeted.”
4. Stop fraudsters
Forewarn is more than a convenience for Hoyt, it’s a safeguard against fraud. She has seen an uptick in people attempting to access high-end properties without legitimate reasons and the app has helped her figure out if people wanting to see a listing are who they say they are.
Hoyt stresses that new agents need to be cautious because they may inadvertently overlook red flags in their effort to land new business. “Who wouldn’t want to use [a product like Forewarn] especially since it’s being offered free?” she says. “In this business, most of the time you’re meeting complete strangers.”
Leslie C. Stone is a Vero Beach-based freelance writer.