Landlord Quick Tip

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Tip #49: Common Scam Targets Landlords

Identity fraud is now the fastest growing crime in the United States, and too often landlords are the victims.

You may not know you’ve been scammed with a fake SSN until you try to collect your delinquent rent, only to find out you don’t know your tenant’s true identity.

AAOA provides SSN Fraud Reports that can help you detect a con before you rent. This report will:

Verify prospective tenant identity.

Detect false or tampered IDs.

This search scans 19 billion public and proprietary records to instantly verify basic data and potentially fraudulent identities. These resources automatically validate identity against known matches such as:

The zip code matches the state.
The last name matches the address.
The Social Security Number matches the first and last name.
The Social Security Number issue date is within a valid date range.
The Social Security Number is not listed as deceased.
You can also opt to learn whether the applicant meets specified age requirements.

For more, see Tenant Screening.

See last week’s Landlord Quick Tip.