Fake Credit Report?! Tenant Screening in Houston, TX
I have a SFR for rent and realized that an applicant's Credit Report was completely fraudulent! The applicant's realtor sent over a TransUnion credit report that looked fine to the eye... but when I hit ctrl+A, I saw there were text rows highlighted but completely blank. I copied and pasted into a fresh .ppt doc and guess what I found? Yep, a different name, addresses, negative accounts, and a different Credit Score!
It looks like the "hidden" text had the font color changed to white (to match the background) and new textboxes were added with the fake info.
My realtor has flagged this to HAR and I'm writing this to hopefully help other landlords. I'm obviously not goin to entertain the application but what do I do? Have others run into this before? Is this common?
#5 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
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- Shelton, WA
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#5 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
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These days you can buy all kinds of documents on the internet. W2, tax return, credit report, anything you want. Be careful out there!
@Bjorn Ahlblad this is so crazy. The worst part (allegedly, right now) is that we think their realtor is in on it. SMH
#5 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
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#5 Multi-Family and Apartment Investing Contributor
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- Shelton, WA
Quote from @Isaiah Matsumura:I doubt that the realtor is involved their license would be at risk
@Bjorn Ahlblad this is so crazy. The worst part (allegedly, right now) is that we think their realtor is in on it. SMH
#3 BRRRR - Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat Contributor
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#3 BRRRR - Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat Contributor
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- Austin, TX
Make sure you screen your tenants with a screening company. I use go4rent
Quote from @Bjorn Ahlblad:
Quote from @Isaiah Matsumura:I doubt that the realtor is involved their license would be at risk
@Bjorn Ahlblad this is so crazy. The worst part (allegedly, right now) is that we think their realtor is in on it. SMH
I hope it's not true but the it was fishy when they sent over the Eviction Report (out of mysmartmove) that didn't match the applicant's name. Turns out, the name matches the hidden info on the faked credit report. The Eviction Report shows it's coming from the realtor's account.
I just checked the Criminal Report and it's tampered in the exact same way. Selected over the name, copy and pasted... and boom, the same name popped up from the hidden info on the credit report. Two tampered documents, same info, same methods, same system, and evidence it's coming from the realtors account.
100%, can't trust anything. They're probably just preying on the landlords that just don't think it's possible.
Quote from @Eliott Elias:
Make sure you screen your tenants with a screening company. I use go4rent
I'll check it out thanks!
Quote from @Lionel Lin:
Always get the screening results directly yourself. I use mysmartmove and zillow, that way there's no chance for them to manipulate the credit report. They can still fake paystubs and bank statements. You can call and verify employment.
100% agree now. I'll check those out thanks! Another red flag was their place of work, the generic website had two pictures, no info, and just a "contact for pricing"...
Wow thanks for giving us an heads up. Great catch!!! I usually just use turbo tenant or another landlord app and they pull it as well as background checks on the tenants tab. This ensures it accurate and it hasn't been tampered with.
A Credit Bureau Report cannot be distributed by another party so that was the first red flag. The realtor wasn't real bright or integrity-filled. The FBI has a site for warnings on rental scams...many are targeted at landlords. Bottom line: make the application and screening processes under your control. Go with a national online service and have the results sent directly to you. Anytime you're given a CB report by a tenant or representative, refuse it.
And, good work on your part...pretty impressive.
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Broker CA (#01878782)
- Pintail Property Management
Quote from @Isaiah Matsumura:
I have a SFR for rent and realized that an applicant's Credit Report was completely fraudulent! The applicant's realtor sent over a TransUnion credit report that looked fine to the eye... but when I hit ctrl+A, I saw there were text rows highlighted but completely blank. I copied and pasted into a fresh .ppt doc and guess what I found? Yep, a different name, addresses, negative accounts, and a different Credit Score!
It looks like the "hidden" text had the font color changed to white (to match the background) and new textboxes were added with the fake info.
My realtor has flagged this to HAR and I'm writing this to hopefully help other landlords. I'm obviously not goin to entertain the application but what do I do? Have others run into this before? Is this common?
I have people that send me applications all the time. I ignore them. I tell them to go to our site and apply so I can process it and run the reports myself. That's the solution.
Quote from @Isaiah Matsumura:
Quote from @Lionel Lin:
Always get the screening results directly yourself. I use mysmartmove and zillow, that way there's no chance for them to manipulate the credit report. They can still fake paystubs and bank statements. You can call and verify employment.100% agree now. I'll check those out thanks! Another red flag was their place of work, the generic website had two pictures, no info, and just a "contact for pricing"...
I always insist on a local landline to a direct supervisor to verify employment. I also call the main phone number listed online (not the number provided by tenant) to see if I can get to the supervisor listed. Often, I get transferred to their VM, and from their greeting I can tell the person is legit. THEN I call the local landline to reach them directly.