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

[Peter Christensen]

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?