Here are some safety tips to help you professionally and personally
More can be found at https://www.nar.realtor/safety

Keep it light - Show properties before dark. If you are going to be working after hours, advise your associate or first-line supervisor of your schedule. If you must show a property after dark, turn on all lights and open shades prior to going inside with your client.

Don’t be too public - Limit the amount of personal information you share. Consider advertising without using your photograph, home phone number and/or home address in the newspaper or on business cards. Don’t use your full name with middle name or initial. Use your office address—or list no address at all. Giving out too much of the wrong information can
make you a target.

Stranger danger - Tell your clients not to show their home by themselves. Alert them that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We tell our children not to talk to strangers. Tell your sellers not to talk to other agents or buyers, and to refer all inquiries to you.

Block identity theft - Contact the fraud department of any of the three consumer reporting companies—Equifax®, ExperianSM and Trans Union®—to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The fraud alert automatically lets credit card companies and other creditors know they must contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts.

You take the wheel - Do not drive clients in your car. Instead, have them meet you at the property. When you leave your car, lock it.

Shield your computer from e-mail viruses - Computer viruses can impair and seriously damage your computer. Viruses are often distributed via attachments in e-mail spam. Never open an attachment from someone you don’t know, and, if you receive a strange or impersonal-sounding message from a familiar address, check with that person to make sure that they really sent it.

Got cell service, everywhere?  - When you’re showing commercial property, thick walls and/or remote locations may interfere with mobile phone reception. Be sure to check the cell service of the property before the showing, call the listing agent if necessary, if there is no or poor cell service always take an accompaniment.

“Who’s calling?”  - Install caller I.D. on your telephone, which should automatically reject calls from numbers that have been blocked. This will provide you with immediate information about the source of the call.

Your trash is another man’s Treasure - Just bought a new entertainment system? A bunch of empty boxes out by the curb triggers an alarm to would-be thieves. Instead of putting boxes out in plain sight, cut them down, and stuff them in trash bags.

Take 2 seconds when you arrive at your destination to check out potential dangers: • Is there any questionable activity
in the area?  • Are you parked in a well-lit, visible location?  • Can you be blocked in the driveway by another vehicle?

You are not alone - If you are working late or alone in your office, always lock the doors. But, if you do encounter an individual
while working alone, indicate to that person that you are not alone. Say something like, “Let me check with my
supervisor to see whether she’s able to see you now.”

Don’t get lost - If you are in an unfamiliar area, make mental notes of landmarks, points of interest and intersections. And always know the exact address of where you are going. If you must use a GPS, then pull over and stop in a safe place first.

Careful with cash deposits! - If you periodically carry large deposits to the bank, be especially aware of any strangers lurking around the office parking lot. If you must transport cash deposits, use the buddy system or arrange for a security service
or police escort.

Nothing personal...When talking to clients and prospects, be friendly but still keep your personal information private. This means avoiding mention of where you live, your after-work or vacation plans, and similar details.

Be careful with keys - Don’t hand out house keys to friends, even if they are trustworthy. Know the location of all your house keys all the time. Never use hide-a-keys or leave the key under the doormat, above the door, in a flowerpot, or anywhere outside the house. You may think you’re being clever, but experienced thieves know all the tricks. Also, keep your car keys and house keys on a different ring if you ever use valet parking or leave your keys with parking lot attendants or even at a repair garage.

Long-term thinking - If you think it may be some time before a property sells (and you may, therefore, be showing it often), get acquainted with a few of the immediate neighbors. You will feel better knowing they know your vehicle, and they will feel better about the stranger (you) who frequently visits their neighborhood.

Monitor your financial accounts - Open your credit card bills and bank statements right away. Check for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals and report them immediately. Call if bills don’t arrive on time. It may mean that someone has changed contact information to hide fraudulent charges.

Keep it professional - All of your marketing materials should be polished and professional. Don’t use alluring or provocative photography in advertising, on the Web or on your business cards. There are many documented cases of criminals actually circling photographs of their would-be victims in newspaper advertisements.

Beware of “phishers” - Don’t respond to e-mails requesting personal or private information such as passwords, credit card numbers or bank account numbers. Even if a message appears to be from your bank or a trusted vendor, credible companies never request private information this way.

Don’t use the “V word” - When describing a listing, never say that a property is “vacant.” This may be an invitation to criminals or squatters.

Be aware of adware and malware - Be sure that you don’t click on error messages with unfamiliar logos that state “your computer has been infected with a virus” or “trojan found”. These messages with unfamiliar logos will tell you there is something wrong with your computer and to download their protection service, when in actuality you are downloading a virus and setting yourself up for information loss.