HAR has started receiving calls from several members alerting us to the return of the “foot fetish creep,” only this time saying that he is taking a threatening tone with the female agents he is calling. This man has been on and off HAR’s and law enforcement’s radar for several years. Sometimes identifying himself as Andy or Eddie when he calls, he starts out specifically requesting that a female agent show him a property, but then begins asking if she is wearing sandals or ever wears flip-flops and then requests more details about the footwear. He will then request that the agent remove her shoes and walk across the floor. In some cases he asks whether they have had a pedicure and to describe the nail polish.

Traditionally, he has targeted female agents whose photographs have been featured in ads in various print publications around the greater Houston area. Unlike previous cases when he would hang up if a male agent or spouse intercepted the call, he is now threatening physical harm, including sexual assault and death. So far, HAR has received reports of these threatening cases at a brokerage in Baytown and The Woodlands/Spring, and authorities are investigating.

It is virtually impossible to know when the “foot fetish creep” is calling because his calls display as “blocked” on most mobile phones. At least one brokerage invested in a special service that reveals blocked numbers and that aided police in an earlier investigation.

Fortunately no HAR members have ever been harmed by this individual, other than being subjected to his requests for descriptions of shoes and feet during the calls. To date, most REALTORS® either sense that something is wrong and hang up or he hasn’t shown up when they have actually scheduled a showing. The latter group has always taken a husband or boyfriend with them since they did still have an inkling that he was making unusual requests.

HAR urges you to contact your local police department should you receive a call from the “foot fetish creep.” The more complaints that law enforcement receives about this individual, the more likely it is that they can build a case and conduct an investigation that hopefully leads to an arrest.

HAR reminds you to ALWAYS make SAFETY your top priority!