Get a BONUS, and 19% of the Profits -- Is it a Scam?

Good morning, Joan... I've always said that if your first instinct that something is possible a scam, it probably is.

Joan Cox sound like a scam to me 

Hello Joan - due diligence is a part of everyday living.  Not to mention - unintended consequences.     

Interesting. If they have mineral rights and are selling those rights, it might be real. I would be skeptical and have an attorney review anything before I signed. They also need to make sure no drilling can happen ON their property.

Wise for them to contact you and good to refer them to an attorney. So many scams out there that everything needs to be researched before making a decision.

DR Horton severed mineral rights in neighborhoods they built in NC years ago. When a homeowner found it resulted in an enormous law suit. Horton was required to issue new deeds, unsever mineral rights back to homeowners, etc. As a result, we have had an Oil Mineral & Gas Rights Disclosure that must be filled by sellers when a home is sold.

The best practice is to delete this stuff an move on.

Joan, When in doubt, run the other direction and save your hard earned money 🙂

I worked in commodities trading (Investment Banks, Hedge Funds, and I also worked for one of the largest commodities exchanges in the world). Even though my background was institutional and trading oriented- i.e. we worked with other investment banks, trading firms, governments, etc rather than working with the public- I have heard about this quite a bit (in order to understand the underlying market). While there are some scammers out there like any industry- it's not unusual for energy exploration company's to offer deal like this. 

An all too common issue here is that homeowners receive a huge benefit especially from any up front signing bonus- plus a cut of the profits...which sounds amazing. The concern is safety and process control. How do you know they aren't cutting corners in the process- destroying your clean water? For example- Fracking is a proven technology- and can be a great way to extract natural gas...but only if the drilling company follows best practices procedures. I would have the attorney's go over extraction methods, procedures and potential damages if it's not done correctly with a fine tooth comb. Hire the best energy drilling experts before signing any contracts.