Warning issued of registered sex offender targeting female real estate agents

DETROIT (FOX 2) - A property listing resource for realtors in Metro Detroit released a bulletin warning of a sex offender targeting female agents.

The warning comes from Realcomp which has left area realtors on edge, saying there is a man who’s lured at least 14 women to the same Downtown Detroit commercial property under the guise of listing it, then made unwanted advances.

And because he hasn’t broken any laws yet, he’s still out there.

"It's very scary," said Erin Hertzog, Jacobs Realty Group. "It’s unfortunate that it's probably not going to stop until someone shows up and something bad happens."

Realcomp is not giving the man’s name or the Detroit location, it is worried about legal issues. But, we do he is a registered sex offender making this situation even more concerning.

"We have all had some creepy instances where you walk into a house and somebody is there that you weren't expecting," said Hertzog.

The man’s m-o according to Realcomp’s warning, is he requests the women meet him alone – and gets upset if they bring a male colleague.

The women reported that the professional interaction takes a turn to comments on the agent's looks or clothing.

In one case, he brought the agent flowers and wanted to "take care" of her.  

"I always let somebody on my team know where I'm going to be," Hertzog said.

Erin is already on high alert – when it comes to her own safety right now - scheduling clients to meet at her office first, and carrying pepper spray.

"We all want to get home safe at night," she said.

Female realtors are being asked to report anything suspicious to the police.