C.O. female real estate agents report unsettling phone calls

Several female real estate agents in Central Oregon say they have been receiving unnerving phone calls recently.

“It felt like a strange interaction,” Shelise Murray said Monday. “So I went ahead and got off the phone and took notes on how that went and the times that he had called me, because it was multiple times.”

Murray saw red flags immediately.

“He wanted to meet me alone,” she said. “I asked him which property he was referring to, and he didn’t know. He wanted to give me an address and have me meet him at that address.”

Murray said the caller got agitated when he thought she wanted to bring another agent along to the meeting. She was disturbed by the interaction and wanted to warn others, so she went to post on a Realtor’s Facebook forum, and saw she wasn’t alone.

“Somebody else had just posted about this interaction she’d had with the same gentleman, and in me responding to her comment, I found that there were quite a few other agents as well,” she said.

There were posting from agents all over the state, Central Oregon and at least three women from her workplace.

Murray called the Bend Police Department’s non-emergency number.

Lt. Clint Burleigh said people should first tell the caller to stop, if they’re feeling harassed. Another good option is simply blocking the number.

“If they do not head the warning that you give them yourself, please contact your local law enforcement,” Burleigh said, “whether it’s Bend PD or wherever you live. We’ll tell them to stop calling. They could be looking at a criminal charge of telephonic harassment.”

Police were able to locate the caller and put an end to the situation. Burleigh said he lives in Silverton and is not a threat to the community.

Murray said things like this are a good safety reminder.

“You really have to trust your gut, ask questions, be thorough and make sure that you are not putting yourself in a situation where you are exposing yourself to risk,” she said.