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Identity theft is the act of impersonating another, by means of
using the person’s sensitive information, such as birth date,
Social Security number, address, name, and bank account
information. The thief obtains the information without the
knowledge of the victim to commit fraud or other forms of theft.
Landlords are vulnerable when a perpetrator moves into a rental
unit using someone else’s identity or when someone actually uses
the landlord’s identity to commit fraud.
Generally, when an identity thief moves into a rental unit they
usually pay the deposit and first month’s rent. Then the thief will
stop payments, delay payments or make partial payments. The thieves
are very aware of the evictions procedures and take full advantage
of the process. These criminals know every trick to delaying the
procedure and will use every possible sad story to drain the
landlord of their resources.
Identity thieves look for landlords who do not take due diligence
in screening applicant thoroughly. They look for landlords who are
desperate to rent their property or landlords who are trying to
save a couple of dollars by not screening.
How Identity Thieves Get
Information
- Get information from businesses or other institutions
by:
- stealing records or information while they're on the
job
- bribing an employee who has access to these records
- hacking these records
- conning information out of
employees
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- Rummage through trash, the trash of businesses, or public
trash dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving"
- Get credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized
access to them, or by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone
else who may have a legal right to access the report
- Steal credit or debit card numbers by capturing the
information in a data storage device in a practice known as
"skimming." They may swipe the card for an actual purchase, or
attach the device to an ATM machine where the victim may enter or
swipe their card.
- Steal wallets and purses containing identification and credit
and bank cards.
- Steal mail, including bank and credit card statements, new
checks, or tax information
- Complete a "change of address form" to divert mail to
another location
- Steal personal information from homes
- Scam information by posing as a legitimate business person or
government official
How to Protect
Yourself
Landlords can protect themselves by posting either in signage or
through the application that they will take every effort to screen
their applicants to determine that they are who they say they are.
This deterrent alone can save landlords a lot of grief. Identity
thieves know that inquiries into credit will be reflected on a
person’s credit report.
Managing personal information is key to minimizing the
risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.
- Purse or wallet must be kept in a safe place at all times.
- Never carry a Social Security card.
- Personal information must never be shared with random
people
- Identity thieves are really good liars, and could pretend to be
from banks, Internet service providers, or even government agencies
to get the victim to reveal identifying information.
- Read the statements from your bank and credit accounts and look
for unusual charges or suspicious activity. Problems must be
reported to bank and creditors immediately.
- Shred charge receipts, checks and bank statements, expired
charge cards, and any other documents with personal information
before disposing.
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