236 | Don't fall for this scam

BusinessPodcastMarketing

Nov 24

Written By Melissa Klug

Today we have a quick but hopefully impactful episode to help you avoid a common (and expensive) scam in the organizing industry.

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You can listen right here by pressing play, or you can read the full transcript below!

LINKS FOR LISTENERS

Connect with Melissa and Pro Organizer Studio: CLICK HERE
If you are interested in our Inspired Organizer® program, you can find us at www.inspiredorganizer.com
We have a whole library of podcasts here, our YouTube channel, and you can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Pro Organizer Studio.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hey, pro organizers. It’s Melissa, and we’re just going to do a quick minisode. There’s going to be a longer episode tomorrow about something brand new, which I’m very excited about. But today, I just wanted to hop on because of something that came up in our Inspired Organizer group.

Someone was giving a heads-up about an ongoing scam. This is not a new scam, but there are some ways that it has become a little more sophisticated in how it’s presented. I wanted to do this as a quick public service announcement because I think one of the greatest things about organizers is that we are kind, helpful people. And sometimes, because we are kind and helpful, we are not as—“cynical” probably isn’t the right word—but we can be a little too trusting.

This is a reminder that we have to trust our gut.

This is a very standard scam that has been around the organizing industry for a long time. In case you don’t know about it, or you haven’t encountered it yet, I want you to be prepared. I have personally received this email more times than I can count. And the thing is, scammers only need one person to say, “Oh, okay, no problem.”

So I want to save you from that if possible.

What I’m going to do is read you the email that came to one of our Inspired Organizer members. If you get this email, you’ll recognize it immediately—it’s close to verbatim. There might be slight variations, but it’s almost identical every time. There are several things I want you to be on the lookout for.

The email either comes directly to your inbox or through your inquiry form. It usually starts with something like, “Found you on the web and would like to learn more about your services.”

Then it says:

“I must confess, the design works displayed on your website give great aesthetic pleasure.”

This is red flag number one. While there is obviously a wide variety in how people communicate, these emails tend to sound very stilted or overly formal. They are often coming from scam operations overseas and run through translators, so the language sounds too precise or too polished in a way real clients just don’t talk.

Trust me—I’ve worked with plenty of high-end clients, and nobody talks like this.

The email then continues with something like:

“We need a pro to help us design and style our new home in Brookfield, Wisconsin before moving in.”

This is another red flag. They include the city and the state. Most local clients would just say, “We have a new house in Brookfield.”

Then it says:

“We have ordered some furniture and some few home design accents, so we seek someone to help us arrange and set up the new house professionally.”

Again, this phrasing is a giveaway. Most people don’t say “home design accents.” They’d say furniture and décor, or just “some other items.”

Next, they mention a move-in date and say they want the home ready before they arrive.

Another major part of the scam is that they say they are deaf or hearing impaired and therefore cannot speak on the phone. This is designed to pull at your heartstrings and make you feel guilty for questioning whether the inquiry is legitimate. It also conveniently prevents them from ever having to get on the phone with you.

I understand how emotionally manipulative this is. Do not believe it. It is always part of the scam.

Then comes the financial hook.

They say they are going to send you a certified check, which sounds very official and secure. Certified checks can be faked very easily. These are always fraudulent checks.

They’ll say something like, “We’ll send you a check for $4,000, but we need you to pay $2,000 to the movers for us because we can’t communicate with them.” They may even offer you a bonus for helping them out.

Here’s the scam: you send the money to the “movers” via Venmo, Cash App, or another platform. Then your bank realizes the check is fake, removes the funds from your account, and you are out the money you sent.

To be clear, there are no movers. You are paying the scammers.

In this particular case, the scammers were more sophisticated than usual. The organizer checked the address and found that it was a house that had recently sold. She Googled the person’s name and even found someone online teaching American Sign Language. That is next-level scamming, and while it’s not common, it does happen.

If you get this email, just ignore it.

This is where our kindness sometimes works against us. We want to respond. We want to help. We get excited about new inquiries. I’ve been in this business a long time, and I still get excited when a new inquiry comes in.

But here’s the truth: you do not have to respond to every inquiry. Just because someone emails you does not mean you owe them a response.

You can delete it and move on.

It may feel rude. It may feel unprofessional. Delete it anyway.

Especially with scams—once you respond, they know they have a live person on the line.

Another general business rule: never pay another service provider on behalf of a client you’ve never met. I have done this occasionally for long-term, trusted clients where there was little to no risk. But for a brand-new client, I would never recommend taking on that financial liability.

Even if it’s not a scam, it’s not a good business practice.

If this has happened to you, please know this is not about judgment or shame. Very smart, very savvy organizers have fallen for this scam. Multiple people I know personally have experienced this. You are not alone.

My goal is simply to prevent it from happening to someone else.

This is also a broader reminder: trust your gut in every situation. Even if your gut is wrong—if you miss out on a legitimate client—you are still better off honoring that instinct.

I remember doing a consultation once where everything felt off. I can’t explain it. The house felt weird. The situation felt wrong. I’m not a woo-woo person, but something didn’t feel right Gravel.

I never followed up. You can tell me that’s unprofessional, and that’s fine—but my gut said not to go back there, and I listened.

You are allowed to say no in your business and still be a good, kind, caring human.

So this is your quick minisode. I’ll be back tomorrow with another episode with my co-conspirator—not in scams, but in cool things—Cabri. We’re going to talk about something fun and new we have for you.

Until then: trust your gut, say no when you need to, and don’t let the scammers win.

Have a great day, organizers.