Anyone else getting fraudulent applications?

[Paul De Luca]

I have a unit listed for rent in Chicago and I've received several highly suspect or fraudulent applications. Evidence indicating fraudulent applications includes:

-mailing addresses that don't match applicant's employer paystubs

-pay stub formatting across several applications is identical with just names, business, and addresses altered

-when I google the employer's company, little to no background comes up. When I search the business address it's a vacant lot, house, or the middle of a road

-Credit checks and background checks come back clean but I had one application that turned into signed lease and tenant. Basically after we mutually agreed that she would leave after two weeks we discovered her criminal background through a reverse phone lookup. I can only assume there's an element of identity theft here where the background check is not using an accurate social security number.  Her utility bills also came in under other peoples' names.

-I just received an application the other day that has the SAME NAME of that previous tenant as her employer contact.

Is anyone else dealing with fraudulent rental applications? What other tips do you have for dealing with them?

[Mark Ainley]

@Paul De Luca It has been bad in both city and suburbs for us.  Fake documents and doctored DLs support the application and without being sus of it being an issue they look pretty good on the surface.  The goal of them is to make it look like a slam dunk app so you dont dig in.  When we dig in and call them out they actually get defensive and threaten us so that is another sign you are right about them.  

Potential renters can go online and for $500 purchase a complete identity.  That identity is often a real person tied to real addressed owned by that real person.

Major Red Flags We See:

-One person for a larger home

-People want to move closer for work but the move doesn't make sense geographically

-People using a current or previous address of some 400k home in Michigan to a $1300 rental on southside of Chicago

-People moving from affluent neighborhoods to C&D class areas

-Never able to complete rental verification through proof of payments(cleared checks & electronic) only thru fake landlord call at number provided

-They often are "selling" but when you look up the owner of record and google their name and address it shows the real person(real person has no idea cause we have let some of them know)

-If you get a landlord to verify call that number back the day of move in and you will not be able to get a hold of them or number has changed.

Steps We Have Taken

Linkedin, Forwarn, and now our newer tenant screening software Findigs has been great.  This has been an issue for us since February and we had to take extreme steps.  Findigs links the tenants application to their bank account to show history so we know if it is linked(55% of apps) we know those at least are not fraud.  They also have a document screening part of their software coming out we have been testing and it works.  An example where we found fake documents is on a BofA bank statement there is three tiny dots to the right of applicants name on the statement.

@Shea Murray