When a friend crosses a legal line, staying silent can feel just as wrong as going along with it.

What would you do if someone close to you started falsely claiming they were licensed in a profession, and brushed it off like it was no big deal?

Would you keep your mouth shut and avoid appearing nosy?

Or would you call them out and risk your friendship?

In the following story, one woman finds herself in this exact situation and opts for the latter.

Here’s how it all played out.

AITA for telling my friend it’s illegal to claim she’s a realtor when she doesn’t have a real estate license?

My (30F) friend “Suzy” (29F) recently told me she’s been representing herself as a licensed agent and realtor to people despite not having completed the licensing exam.

She works with a licensed broker named Bob who handles the legal aspects of transactions, but she’s still telling people she’s a realtor without having the credentials.

When I saw a text in which she admitted this, I told her that misrepresentation is illegal and that falsifying a license is a serious offense.

I explained that this could potentially get both her and Bob in trouble since “Realtor” is actually a protected term for members of the National Association of Realtors.

Suzy didn’t see anything wrong.

She got defensive and said, “I don’t care,” and that “It’s not really a lie,” and “It’s so minor.”

She claims she’s just using the term to make their “brand sound more legit” and that she’s “not proactively saying she’s a realtor to people in town.”

But in an earlier message, she clearly said “Yes” when I asked if she’s telling people she’s a realtor.

And she was sending a text to her friend, reminding him that she is a realtor.

She also has stated on their brokerage website that she “got her license in 2024.”

I recently saw this and said you need to edit that out because you can’t tell people you’re a licensed agent, and she said she was planning to take it out.

Now, she’s confused because she was just trying to be a good friend.

She eventually messaged, saying it seemed like she “struck a nerve” and that she’s not doing anything that “puts Bob or our business at risk” because she’s “not handling deals or writing offers.”

She ended by saying, “Lol, I don’t care,” when I reminded her that misrepresenting and falsifying a license is illegal.

I feel like I was just looking out for her by warning about potential legal consequences, but she’s acting like I’m being ridiculous and overreacting.

It makes me feel sick to imagine my friend deceiving people like this, and to have complete disregard for the rules.

To me, there is zero benefit to her lying.

AITA?

Yikes! It’s easy to see where she’s coming from, but sometimes it’s best to stay out of things.

Let’s see what advice the readers over at Reddit have to offer her.

This person explains how Bob is putting his business at risk.

As this person points out, getting a license isn’t hard.

This person wants to know what she’s going to do about it.

According to this comment, it’s actually pretty common.

She’s done all she can.

Now, the only thing left to do is either let it go or turn them into officials.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check this one out about a man who created a points system for his inheritance, and a family friend ends up getting almost all of it.