Fort Myers real estate agent reports man exposed himself during virtual meeting

A Southwest Florida real estate agent said a routine virtual meeting with a potential homebuyer quickly turned unsettling when the man exposed himself on camera, prompting her to end the call and contact police.

Melissa Cheetham, a Fort Myers-based real estate agent, said the incident happened on Wednesday after a man from Cape Coral reached out claiming he wanted to buy a house in cash.

Cheetham said she sent the man several listings in Cape Coral and Lehigh Acres. The two then agreed to a virtual call to discuss the properties — a common practice in real estate.

"At first, it was just strange," Cheetham said. She described how the man initially only appeared on camera from the chin up and complimented her appearance.

"He said, 'You’re very beautiful,' and I said, 'Well, thank you,'" Cheetham recalled.

But the conversation quickly escalated after Cheetham asked for proof of funds before meeting in person.

"The camera looked up to the ceiling, and then two seconds later, he zoomed it back down," she said. "He was laying down, and he was nude."

Cheetham said the man then asked her if she liked what she saw.

"I said, 'Oh gosh, no,'" she said.

She immediately shut her laptop, ended the call and dialed 911. No in-person meeting ever took place.

"I was grateful that I did not meet him and possibly get hurt," Cheetham said. "That was a blessing."

Cheetham said incidents like this are unfortunately not uncommon in the real estate industry, particularly for agents who work alone and meet new clients regularly.

She said she typically uses a safety app called Forewarn, which allows real estate agents to verify potential clients’ identities and check available criminal and financial information. In this case, she said, the man did not appear in the system.

Her message to other real estate agents is simple: trust your instincts.

"If you’ve got that icky feeling, definitely follow that intuition," Cheetham said. "It’s crazy out there. Just be careful."

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