REALTOR® Safety Month: Are You Using FOREWARN?
September is officially designated as REALTOR® Safety Month by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) to raise awareness and promote best practices for personal security in the real estate industry. One powerful safety tool that LCAR provides to all members is FOREWARN. If you’re not using FOREWARN, all I can ask is: why not?
You get a call from someone you don’t know who wants to tour your listing. You enter their phone number into FOREWARN and within a couple of seconds you can review information that may help you verify their identity and assess potential risk.
The available information may include phone records, address history, criminal history, vehicle records and property records. It’s quick and can provide much more information than simply Googling a phone number. By checking this information, you can corroborate what they told you about who they are. It gives you another layer of information before deciding how to proceed with a new contact.
Sometimes there are criminal records you may want to be aware of before meeting with someone for the first time. Most of what I see are driving infractions, but I’ve seen more severe issues. Keep in mind that records should be reviewed carefully. A record appearing in a search does not necessarily mean it belongs to the person you are researching.
I’ve used FOREWARN to confirm the correct spelling of someone’s name or to confirm their address when I’m vetting a new prospect. It is powerful and it is quick. It is also one layer of protection to reduce your risk when working with strangers.
FOREWARN says its primary expected use is when you are contacted by an unknown real estate prospect and want to determine whether the person is who they say they are, presents a possible safety risk, or may be attempting fraud. It is not a tool for curiosity, prospecting or lead generation. So, no, you cannot use it to look up your neighbors, your friend’s new boyfriend or everyone in your farm. FOREWARN specifically prohibits personal searches, marketing and lead-generation uses.
I’ve looked up people while on the phone with them just to confirm they are who they say they are. Now, some phone numbers have no data. A “record not found” result does not necessarily mean the inquiry isn’t legitimate. There can be other reasons a phone number returns no record. FOREWARN also allows you to search by name if a phone number doesn’t produce a match, provided the search is for a permitted business purpose.
FOREWARN is intended to help with identity verification, personal safety and fraud detection. It is not a consumer reporting agency, and its information cannot be used to determine someone’s eligibility for credit, insurance, employment or other purposes covered by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. And, of course, information you see in FOREWARN should never be used as a basis for discriminatory treatment or to deny real estate services based on a protected characteristic.
Here are some of the best ways to use it:
- Safety & Screening
- Verify the identity of a new lead before meeting.
- Confirm whether the information provided by the prospect corresponds with available records.
- See if there are criminal records that may warrant extra caution.
- Compare address information with what the prospect has provided.
Listing Appointments Before meeting a potential seller:
- Review available property information as part of verifying the prospect and preparing for a safe meeting.
- See who else may be associated with the address and potentially be present at the property.
- Better understand who you’re meeting. Buyer Consultations
- Confirm the identity of a new prospect before meeting.
- Look for inconsistencies that could indicate a fraudulent inquiry or warrant additional verification.
Rental Leads
If someone inquires about a rental listing:
- Confirm they are a real person before scheduling a showing.
- Use identity verification to help identify potential fraud or safety concerns before meeting.
One More Important Reminder
FOREWARN is a tool, not a guarantee that someone is safe. Continue to follow your normal safety practices: let someone know where you’re going, meet new prospects in the office or a public place when appropriate, use a buddy system when something doesn’t feel right, and trust your instincts.
FOREWARN also requires subscribers to keep information and search results confidential. Be thoughtful about the information you access and how you handle it. Used appropriately, FOREWARN can be a powerful addition to your safety practices. It takes only a few seconds to do a search, and those few seconds can provide valuable information before you meet someone you don’t know.
FOREWARN is included with your LCAR membership and you haven’t started using it yet, REALTOR® Safety Month is a great time to become familiar with it.
Contact LCAR with questions about setting up your account.
