If a company named "Joe James' Painting Company" bought the loan on your house and demanded payment, you'd be more suspicious than if it was "Snoke Financial" or something.

I've  been practicing the information gathering step for many years now, when a sellers calls me, they reach my cell phone, I do not trust others negotiating this lead call (I've spent too much money for that lead to be wasted on someone asking the wrong questions).I think you have to be very aware and understand that the caller is suspicious of the investor, all he knows about the investor is what was written in letter or on a card or bandit sign.

Plus they are out of Canada, which makes me more suspicious. 

If it is listed on the MLS I would be very suspicious. 

He seemed a little suspicious but said I would need to go through his Realtor. 

I was onsite in my truck calling a few people for maint. repairs, I saw a guy organizing the dumpster, thought he looked suspicious, got out and said hey whats going on.  

However, going about that using suspicious or frowned upon tactics is up to the wholesaler.

I never heard of this and it sound suspicious.

I'm very suspicious about this, as no one is forthcoming with much info.

I've never heard of charging admission for a REIA and am a bit suspicious as a result.