Scams in the Chicago area

This is the second time this week that a scammer has contacted me in the Chicago area.
Here’s what they do, they contact you usually by text and ask you to perform an inspection, they agree to your fee and tell you they are in the hospital or out of town and will not be attending the inspection but they will send you a check and include extra money so you can pay a contractor that will be there at the same time that your doing the inspection. I had one guy contact me last year by text and the dumb ass contacted me again using the same phone number but changed his name. What’s wrong with these people?

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Smart man to pass on that junk. :+1:

It has been going on for years.

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I had the exact same request in Canada

Had that one last week in Oklahoma.

Received one like that yesterday. He texted me if I can do an inspection and sent me an address somewhere on the Chicago south side, I responded that I cannot do it, then I got another text that said that he won’t be able to get there for the inspection but he will pay me … blah blah blah, as he would never read what I just told him in the first place.

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Same thing going on in Indy. I have feel for it a couple of times. However, the last time, there was 2 other home inspectors at site.
Not sure what is gained by fake appointments.
We have a policy that if we get these type of requests, that payment is needed prior to site visit.
Keep the Faith.

I think most of us have had these. Would be good if InterNACHI would put out a notice, or somehow alert New Members, Warning of this Bullshitery in the very First Part of their Training courses that they WILL run into these scammers, and what to look out for. I worry that some less experienced inspectors will be apt to fall for these and other scams especially when starting out as they will be too anxious to take on any job that might pop up.

And related other Scams that are going to siphon off a newbie’s profits before they get wise…Like>>> Home Adviser/ Yelp…etc…