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Finally called out a fake tear-free apology video from a realtor in Phoenix
Sat through a 6 minute apology from a local agent who faked crying over a listing scam, and I spotted 4 tells she was reading off a script behind her phone. Now I pause every video at 0:25 to check if the tears match the sniffles.
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jessem5918d ago
Right there with you on checking the timing thing. I saw one last month where the tears started before her voice even cracked, it was like watching a bad movie on fast forward. The upspeak at the end of sentences is such a solid tell too, nobody actually sounds like theyre asking a question when theyre genuinely upset. Its wild how these agents think nobody will notice the scripted pauses.
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cameron_hernandez6913d ago
Well I actually see it a little differently than most people here. I've watched enough of these videos to notice the timing tells too, but I think some of the criticism goes too far. We're judging people's emotional reactions like we're scientists measuring heartbeats. Real people do sometimes have their voice crack after the tears start, or they sniffle at odd moments. Not everyone cries the same way. I remember a neighbor who used to smile while telling you the saddest story, it was just how she processed things. To me, it feels like we're all looking for patterns that fit our suspicions instead of being fair.
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linda_reed18d ago
That 0.25 second mark is my new habit too. I caught another Phoenix agent doing the same thing last week, she was talking about how "heartbroken" she was over a cancelled open house but her voice went up at the end of every sentence like she was asking a question. The sniffles were perfectly on beat with the scripted pauses too, it was almost impressive how bad it was. I've started screenshotting the timestamps on these apology videos now, the timing mismatches between the tears and the voice cracking are always a dead giveaway. You're not crazy for spotting those tells, there's something so gross about using fake crying to cover up a real scam. I appreciate you calling it out.
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