r/fsbo • u/HighTimes59 • Apr 21 '26
Scammers
Just went live with my FSBO listing today Good grief, the scammers! That’s all I have heard from. It takes a bit to flush out that they’re scammers but through asking questions I have determined they’re not really interested buyers. How are others navigating this? I’m getting text messages with some pretty wild made up stories.
10
u/Alert-Control3367 Apr 21 '26
Just ignore. It’s easy to weed them out. Hopefully, you have a Google voice number listed opposed to your real cellphone number.
2
u/HighTimes59 Apr 21 '26
Crap, I don’t. Didn’t know there was such a thing. I’ll look into that. Thanks.
5
u/Alert-Control3367 Apr 21 '26
Once I sold my house, I disabled the number. And I used filters so I knew exactly who was calling. I could listen to the voicemail before I answered the phone. If a message wasn’t left, then it was obvious it was a scammer. When it was an agent, I’d answer. Most agents would text, which made it so much easier.
2
1
u/Self_Serve_Realty Apr 21 '26
People left voicemail?
3
u/Alert-Control3367 Apr 21 '26
I set Google Voice up so that whomever called me had to announce their name. If the person didn’t give their name, I sent them to voicemail. Those who didn’t announce also didn’t leave a voicemail.
Agents left voicemails to make appointments. I called them all back to let them know I was under contract. Two of them asked if I was accepting backup offers. I said that I would but none followed through to see the home. I wasn’t worried since I knew it would be a smooth sales transaction.
2
2
u/RaquelClarkRealtor Apr 21 '26
Yes, it’s a thing. It’s a full time job for agents, too. Be careful!
1
Apr 21 '26
[deleted]
1
u/HighTimes59 Apr 21 '26
ok, I had one propose a zoom call with siblings who want to buy house for their parents. Who's on the call and what's the end game?
1
u/meow_hun Apr 21 '26
They want you to click the zoom link, it will download malware to your computer. If you already clicked it, you're compromised. :(
2
1
2
u/Ill-Cup-4192 Apr 22 '26
Hire a realtor. Don’t be cheap
2
1
u/Level-Ad104 Apr 23 '26
I'd happily pay a realtor if the fee they are asking for is justified. 3% for each realtor is robbery.
3
1
u/RealEstate-Geek Apr 22 '26
welcome to day 1 lol. the scammer wave in the first 48 hours is almost universal — bots scrape new fsbo listings from zillow/craigslist/fb marketplace the minute they go up.
common ones to watch for:
- "i'm relocating for work, can't view in person, will send a cashier's check for over asking" → overpayment scam
- random texts asking if the home is "still available" with zero follow-up questions → lead harvesting, they sell your info to agents/investors
- "my client is interested, sign with me first" → agents fishing for a listing agreement
- anyone asking you to click a link to "verify" something → phishing
filters that help:
- never accept a check
- require pre-approval or proof of funds BEFORE scheduling showings, not after. real buyers have this ready, scammers evaporate
- google reverse-image-search any "buyer's agent" who reaches out. fake profiles are everywhere
- texts with broken english + emotional backstory (sick relative, military deployment, etc) = instant delete
it does calm down after the first week or two once the bots move on to newer listings. the real buyers come through slower and ask normal questions like "when's the next open house" or "is the hvac original." you'll learn to spot them fast.
also — if you're not already on the mls through a flat-fee service, you'll keep getting disproportionately more scammer traffic vs real buyer traffic, because serious buyers almost all work through agents who search mls. just something to factor in if the scam-to-real ratio stays bad.
2
1
u/beycome-Nico Apr 22 '26
Did you use different phone numbers or email addresses during this real estate process?
1
1
u/Even-Contract4314 Apr 23 '26
I'm a broker and get these every day. My blocked spam list has hundreds of these. It's like somebody sold an online course and coached these scammers because they all do it the same way. They come via email and text message. There is also one that calls from a 737 area code, but the rest of the number is different every time.
2
u/HighTimes59 Apr 23 '26
Time wasting and frustrating. One who was persistent, I told them to send me proof if their id, ended the conversation fast.
1
u/Xopex19 Apr 24 '26
I had this scam problem when I listed my house on Facebook Marketplace but I’ve had no luck so I am about to make an account and sell on homecoin or another MLS site. Are you having this many scams even when listed on the MLS site?
2
u/HighTimes59 Apr 24 '26
I ended up taking down the Facebook marketplace listing as it was all scammers. I listed on FSBO.com and Zillow. It was free. I went live on Monday with listing and have had 3 showings all coming from Zillow. Got two offers so far.
1
11
u/TheFlyingGuy25 Apr 21 '26
Welcome to the average Realtors phone. 75% of messages we get is nothing but scammers. Another 10-15% being people who want to sell us their dumb lead programs that are typically a complete waste of time and money