Is the applicant cheating the application/possibly using a stolen identity?

Question

I have always used Zillow's tenant screening application process to screen tenants in the past, and it's worked out for me so far. I am currently considering an applicant that looks kind of fishy, but I wonder if I'm being paranoid. I've heard of people just putting their friends or family down as rental references and such, and forging pay stubs, but always hoped I would never encounter this. Right now, I'm pretty suspicious.

The good news is that her credit score is over 750, and I usually want over 700. Everyone over 700 has never given me any trouble, but as you'll see, I now am doubting that's her actual score.

I went to call her rental reference, and right away, I was suspicious. I'm based here in Minnesota. The applicant told me she's relocating from Miami, FL. I gave her a virtual tour of the property via Facetime tonight and asked her if she was ready for a Minnesota winter, and she told me she's actually from Minnesota and moving back home. So when I saw her listed address in Miami, I was confused as to why an area code for the Twin Cities was the number for the rental manager for her apartment. I googled the address, and it comes up as a condo for down there, but why would a 952 number be the rental manager for an apartment in Miami? Oh well, perhaps that's another person who relocated.

But then her work reference was for a remote job based out of Pennsylvania, and the number for her reference there was also a 952 number. The coincidences are adding up now to where I'm very suspicious. I checked her paystubs, and I can't find the company listed on it, other than one that has a slightly different spelling. The paystub also has misspellings of the city the office is supposedly located in.

So then I tried googling her, and a woman in Miami, FL with the same name does exist, but she looks nothing like the woman I facetimed with tonight. I'm now wondering if this woman stole her identity, and that woman is the one with the good credit score.

Am I crazy paranoid, or on to something? Anyone else caught someone cheating the application process?

Tim Swierczek · Answer

@Peter Christensen I would go with your gut on this. Find 3rd party ways to verify the owner and employment as described. it would be very odd to have both an employer and landlord in two different states thousands of miles away that share an area code with the perspective tenant that is not in the market the home market of the PM or the employer. Very strange, seems like if it's true its one in a million.

Michael Smythe · Answer

@Peter Christensen we do a few things that might help you:1) Lookup the owner of the rental property in public records.2) We have a Whitepages account that allows us to look up either names to get numbers, or reverse look up a number to get a name.3) Bank statements are also great! Most employers now direct-deposit, so you can also cross-verify the legitimacy of paystubs (are their payroll deposits equal to paystub income?). May also show debits for rent payments.4) We also ask for last year's W-2. These can also be easily faked, but most criminals are sloppy. Couple weeks ago a crook submitted a W-2 with all their & employer info center-justified. It's ALWAYS left-justified on a W-2.

Charles Carillo · Answer

@Peter ChristensenIt is great that you are being really thorough with your tenant screening. I have never called a reference before in my life. It is pretty easy to find 1 to 2 people who say you were the greatest tenant ever. Typically, the easiest way to verify this is to request additional documentation. Request a copy of her ID (if you have not done so already). Ask for 1-3 months of their most recent bank statements. It is hard to edit bank statements where the name, address, font, and spacing line up correctly for multiple months; usually, they are slightly off. If they look fine, do you see her employer's name there making deposits? If you still are unsure, have them send you a copy of their most recent (FPL) utility bill. Most fraudsters are not going to go through all of this.

Peter Christensen · Answer

Wow, that's a great tidbit on the W-2. Looking up the owner of the property is also something I didn't think of. Thanks.Is there any way I could get in trouble for scrutinizing this tenant more than my usual screening criteria? I am only doing so because during my normal screening I found these red flags. Normally everything has appeared to be on the up and up so I didn't go to these lengths. But in fairness to everyone and to be in good standing with the laws, should I be scrutinizing everyone this much? Or is there going to be understanding for digging deeper when the initial screening process produces these apparent inconsistencies?

Peter Christensen · Answer

Yeah I called her rental reference this morning and it was fishy once again. She said the tenant was basically a perfect tenant for the last 11 years with never a late payment or noise or damage complaint. That in and of itself isn't fishy, per se, but what was fishy was the person picking up didn't sound like a property manager to me. When I mentioned the property, she muttered "oh yeah" or something like that. I even asked her why she had a Minnesota area code for a rental in Miami, and she said she's the owner and self manages properties all over the country, and she's currently in Texas. It's hard to articulate everything, but it just was nothing like the other experiences I've had when I've dealt with references.I tried calling her employer, and that number just says "the number who have dialed is no longer in service". So I guess maybe she figured I wouldn't call that reference? Thanks for the advice. I'll ask for some other verification or simply move on. I'm 100% sure this woman is a fraudster at this point.