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

• 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.