Man Posing As Realtor Targets Tulsa Family

Tulsa police say a man recently got into a family's home by impersonating a realtor. Although they say his behavior didn't rise to the level of an actual crime, they want others to be on the lookout.

The family is selling their home, so when a man claiming to be a realtor said he had buyers and wanted to preview the house, they let him in.

He took pictures of the windows and the safe. He asked questions about where the kids go to school and the alarm system. He even had a legitimate realtor's business card.

People who are selling their home are often anxious, which makes them more vulnerable to anyone who seems to show interest in the property.

But it's critical to step back and make sure you're dealing with a reputable, legitimate realtor.

"Nobody should let anybody in their front door if they knock. I don't care what the card says, what they say they are," said Rodger Erker.

Erker works for McGraw Realtors and is the president of the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors. He says both the family that was tricked and the agent who was impersonated are very upset by what happened.

He says if someone claiming to be a realtor stops at your place, ask them to make an appointment and come back. Give them the name and number of your listing agent or call their agency and verify who they are.

"If they're really a buyer, they'll come back at a different time," Erker said.

Police say because the fake realtor didn't take anything or hurt anyone, there's no prosecutable crime. But they want to know if anyone else had the same experience.

"I would like to know why, why would someone do this? There has to be an angle. No one does this just to do it," said Tulsa Police Cpl. Gene Watkins.

Another thing realtors do to ensure your safety is use key boxes that require a realtor's code to access.

They also warn if you are having an open house, take anything of value out of the house, including prescription drugs from your medicine cabinet.