10/14/2026
🚩 A heads-up for fellow cleaning business owners!
After 15 years in business, I’m usually pretty quick to recognize a suspicious inquiry. This one took a little longer, so I’m sharing what happened.
Someone contacted us about a deep cleaning and provided a name, a local property address, bedroom and bathroom counts, square footage, and a personal story about an upcoming surgery. We discussed the scope, coordinated a date, and worked through payment options.
During the process, I questioned whether it could be a scam. Some things felt off, but the detailed conversations and time spent discussing the cleaning made me hesitate to dismiss the inquiry.
And there is a lot of work behind those conversations.
Our estimates involve more than sending someone a price. We prepare detailed cleaning checklists with full task descriptions, outline what is included, calculate labor and pricing, and put together client policy agreements so expectations are clear before we arrive. That takes time, thought, and attention to each home.
All of that work had already gone into this inquiry.
They offered to pay half upfront, said they couldn’t use a card, and agreed to Venmo. After receiving our business payment link, they claimed they had sent the deposit.
But there was no payment or pending transaction in our account.
Then came the explanation: the money was supposedly on hold because they paid from a business account and we had a personal account. We already have an established Venmo business profile.
They repeatedly encouraged us to call support through a supposed payment email and eventually supplied a number for a withholding agent.
That’s where we stopped. No money was sent by us, and we declined the booking.
Thankfully, we didn’t lose money. But the time spent communicating, preparing documents, and planning for a job was still time taken away from our clients, employees, and other business responsibilities.
💎 A real address and accurate home details don’t verify who is contacting you. Those details can be found in public property listings.
💎 Check payments directly in your account. An email or screenshot isn’t proof you received money.
💎 Access payment support through the app or website you open yourself, rather than contact information supplied by a prospective client.
💎 Don’t let the time you’ve already invested pressure you into continuing when something feels wrong.
These conversations can be detailed, patient, and convincing. Even with years of experience, slow down when something isn’t adding up.
Sharing this so another cleaning professional can recognize the warning signs sooner. Our time is valuable, and looking out for each other matters. 🩷
