I am NOT a designer but I would say to trust your instincts. I think the fact that they are asking about the setting up payments at the outset is a bit off in my book. It;s one thing to try to get a frame of reference"get to know" you but I would say trust your instincts.

They might be legit, but it reminds me (as it probably triggered to you ) of when I was selling a car a few years ago. I would get these emails that someone wants to buy it but they are out of town and will have their assistant stop by. Never really asking about the car, and then lo and behold---- they have a check made out for more than the asking price so I can just give them the difference. Yeah right.

Something smells fishy.

If you enter the word "scam" into the Houzz search bar and click on "advice" you'll see a few exchanges among the pros on scams. You might try messaging some of those pros.

I get these every once in a while. Delete them. Not real. Phishing which is a method to get your personal info. They vary their stories but kind of same deal. When you advertise thru any media you get this type stuff. Several of them have come through Houzz to me. I delete and ignore.

I am in a different industry, but receive scam emails all the time. Mine are usually pretty easy to spot - in a rush, want to hire me without asking any normal questions, and ask if I accept credit cards.

I did have one that I wasn't sure about, so I did reply, asking from whom did he hear about me and a few follow up questions which would be required if it were a real job.....never heard from him again. They want easy money, they aren't going to jump through a bunch of hoops.

Trust your gut!

Trust your gut.

Ask them to send you name, address, photos, floor plans, etc.

New home address, look up address to see recent listing. look up home owner through county. google their names, reverse phone lookup, etc.

If you don't know them by referral, meet them in a public place.

Ladies, especially, have conceal mase, etc. Text address & name, phone etc to a friend where you are going. text back when all ok after.

As for figuring if they are going to hire & how to proceed & how much.

-------

Time is Money for a business.

Time all events & expenses

time to go to house

time to design

time to meet

etc.

Decide how much your time is worth per hour. Charge accordingly.

Take a travel, consultation service fee for travel time, gas, consulting time, etc beforehand. Credit card over phone or check by mail. If they're serious about your services, they'll value your time & pay accordingly.

Estimates take time to calculate.

If they don't hire you, you at least got paid for your valuable time.

If they do hire you, you have already established respect as a professional who gets paid for your service hours of service or per project.

Keep your prices within reason within the going rate locally.

If starting out & slower in process, then charge per job. Make more per hour by getting faster & when you're more in high demand.

Have a clear contract.

Never give out ideas, designs, etc unless $ is paid for all hours, expenses, and intellectual property value is covered 1st.

Know your Intellectual property value & rights & hours to complete.

Post general guidelines of what to expect on your website,(not necessarily what you charge, but services you offer with a memo services have charges). That will hopefully deter people looking for free ideas to not bother you, because you're a paid professional & you're busy working for clients who respect, appreciate, & pay for your intellectual value.

Best of successes;)

I appreciate everyone's advice and feedback! of course, it makes a lot of sense. I will make sure to check out the other discussions as some of you said, but honestly I feel a lot more relaxed about it.
I guess as with most things, social media and publicizing online has it's up and downsides.

I'm amazed at how scams like this really happens in all kinds of industries and professional services. I'm thankful though you all gave me your thoughts on this!

Have a great Sunday!

@Gold Interiors, it's likely a scam. Go to the Pro-to-Pro section of the discussions; there have been multiple conversations there about these sort of scams--usually by text message. My rule of thumb is generally that most normal people don't initiate a business arrangement by text message. It's usually an email or a phone call. What I generally do is reply with something along the lines of, "Thanks for your inquiry. Please call my office to schedule an appointment." I've never once heard back from those types of folks so that confirms it's a scam. Then I block their number.

@Sabrina Alfin Interiors
I really like that idea, of replying to them to call my office. I'm sure that's probably one of the best ways to filter these. Thank you! It's amazing how I've been in business full time for the last 2-3 years and never had this sort of situation until I started advertising that didn't include word of mouth. We do learn something new every day.
Appreciate your advice.

I am an Achitectural Designer with a pro page on Houzz and was this week hit with scam by a supposed person needing architectural design and plans for a lot in Sedona, AZ I picked up on it real quick when the first thing they ask is if they can pay for my services with credit card and then they said they were only able to communicate via e-mail since they were in India getting treatment for cancer. I looked up the recorded county records of ownership for they lot they said they want to design on and it did not have them as owner. Beware of the scams coming thru houzz this particular potential client goes by Andre Pratt, Avoid them at all costs! I have reported him/ them to Houzz.

It is totally a scam. I had it happen last year. People said they had ordered furniture and were having it delivered to their house and wanted me to stage it for them. They were moving from England, had a small child, tight timeline, etc. They would never give me a location even though I kept asking them for the address. They wanted to FedEx me a check and sent one for four times the amount I requested. I did not deposit it. I pressed them again for the address. When I looked it up, it was a small house for rent (that would never hold the list of furniture they had sent me!) and that did not match up to the description they had given. I called the person renting the home and they said that it was not rented to anyone. They were very anxious for me to deposit the check and wanted routing numbers etc. Obviously those were huge red flags! I never communicated with them again and tore up the check.

That could be a legitimate - but possibly stolen - ID. Wisconsin drivers' licenses have a clear spot with the photo repeated, this would look blackened out against a dark background. I'd suggested deleting that photo to not cause more trouble for a crime victim who had his ID stolen.

Since signing up with Houzz I get 2 to 3 of these a week. And 0 real customers. I'm really glad I didn't pay for an account.

The same with me!

What a shame!

Simply make them do something they wouldn't do, like send you money up front. Like asking a hooker to get in your car and drive away; a cop will never do that.

I just got one (scan request) today! Look out.

“I really appreciate your response and I'm glad to read from you. Please permit me to reintroduce myself and my family to you, I am Isabella Loraine; I'm married and I have a 6 months old son, his name is Derrick. I am a Graphic Artist, I work independently and I get hired by advertising agencies, printers, etc It's a good job. My husband, Nick Loraine, is a Software Developer and System Engineer, we are moving back to the States from Brisbane, Australia, because he just secured a contract and he's to resume the first week in April (April 7th, 2021).

We have ordered furniture and some home appliances, all we need you to do is to make use of our supplies for the project to put in order(furniture and electronics layout, artwork placement, kitchen wares placements etc) once the orders are delivered. I can send you images of the ordered items and house description along with the floor plan.

The paintings have been done so you don't need to worry about that. Where is your location or city? I would like to know how much you are willing to charge for your services and if you accept Certified Check for payment. I would appreciate it if you can get back to us soonest because we really want things sorted before our arrival, our arrival date is Saturday, March 16th, 2021.

I look forward to your response soonest.

Sincerely,
Isabella L.”

lol joseph,,,had experience w/hookers getting in you car, eh? lmao. walked into that one.

Christensen Design:

btw, no real customer will ever give you that much info up front. it's almost like they're going overboard trying to get you to believe they're real people. that alone is a red flag

(who says they have a baby and then gives you that baby's name?? no mother would do that up front! Besides, it's completely irrelevant to the job. they want to convince you. and you convince people by making fake people sound real)

So funny – I heard from an Isabella Lorraine yesterday as well. When I responded and asked for the local address for the job, since I thought it sounded suspect, I have heard nothing in response. Isabella Lorraine seems to be busy 😉

This is what I got.

He even sent me a floorplan and new address but the floor plan did not match with photos on zillow.

That's how I found out he is a scam. what a waste of time.

I really appreciate your response and I'm glad to read from you. My name is Mark Smith , I'm married and I have a 6 months old daughter, Zoe. I am a Graphic Artist, I work independently. I get hired by advertising agencies, printers, etc It's a good job. My Wife, Louisa Smith is a Software Developer and System Engineer, we are moving back to the States from Hammersmith, West London W6 8JF, because she just secured a contract and she's to resume third week in March 2021 .

We have ordered furniture and some home appliances, so all we need you to do is to make use of our supplies for the project to stage(furniture and electronics layout, artwork placement, kitchen wares placements etc) once the orders are delivered. I can send you images of the ordered items and house description along with the floor plan.

The paintings have been done so you don't need to worry about that. Where is your location or city? I would like to know how much you are willing to charge for your services and if you accept Certified Check for payment. I would appreciate it if you can get back to us soonest because we really want things sorted before our arrival, our arrival date is Saturday, March 13th 2021

I look forward to your response soonest.

Best Regards

This is mine, from today. I hope any designer falls for this scam.

Hello, I really appreciate your response and I'm glad to read from you. I'm Sue and My Husband' s name is David. I am 7 months pregnant and also have a 8 years old beautiful Daughter named Elizabeth and have been married for 9 years .
My husband is a Software Developer and System Engineer here in Canada and we are relocating to the States on August 15th 2021 .. We are coming there to do some contract basis with a minimum 2 years contract with possibility of extending the contract.

The House description: 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse with custom woodwork throughout. One assigned parking space. Luxurious master suite, open-concept chef's kitchen with granite counters, ss appliances, skylight, custom cabinets

Fireplace Type: Living Room
Cooling: Central Cooling
Heating: Heat Pump Electric
# Fireplaces: 1
Fireplace: 1, Living Room
Dining Area Level: Entry
Kitchen Level: Entry

We have ordered for the furniture and home appliances, so all we need you to do is to make use of our supplies to do the interior decorating (furniture and electronics layout, artwork placement, kitchen utensils placements etc) once the orders are delivered which will be delivered next week.

Below are the items my husband ordered, I'll see if I can get the rest to you but these are the major ones:

Belmont Twelve Light Chandelier -3
Curtain Panels -5
Floor Pillow - 2
Window treatments - 3
Rug for living room 5' by 6' in size - 1
Collage wall hanging picture frame - 2
Traverse Semi-Flush Ceiling Fan - Brushed Steel 2
Maroneia TV Stand -1
3 Piece Coffee Table Set - 1
Chair and Ottoman Set - 1
5 Piece Dining Set - 1
Diamond Upholstery Panel Bed- 2
Duvet Set - 3
2 Piece Bath Rug Set
Cookware Sets
Bath linens and mirrors

If I may ask, in Which area or city do you live?

The paintings have been done so you don't need to worry about that and I would like to know how much you are willing to charge for your services and if you accept a certified check for payment. I would appreciate it if you can get back to us soonest because we really want things sorted before our arrival, our arrival date is August 15th .

I look forward to your response soon.

Have a great and wonderful day ahead.

Received a potential client scam from a Laura Scarver stating she found my contact information on Houzz. Received a text, but requested I email her back. Stated she is a graphic artist and the spouse, Kenneth, a software developer and 9 mo. daughter are moving back to the US from Brisbane. Requested I email her.
Needed their home staged prior to their arrival, late Sept. Sent me a floor plan of a space that did not match the address she forwarded. I do not know where she got my number from.

Text received from +1 (351) 529-8975

“Hi, I am Mrs Scarver, I got your contact on Houzz. We need an interior decorator for installation/styling (home staging).Kindly email me at: scarver972@gmail.com
Thanks”

SCAM!

I just received a SCAM request on Houzz from Deborah Cosby. Home staging, new home, out of country moving end of July. Geesh. @Isolina Mallon Interiors mine was similar.