An owner or property manager can request a comprehensive background and credit screening from a prospective tenant. This screening report includes the following: credit, background, and criminal history (if any) for the prospective tenant.
Sometimes the screening report will have fraud indicators listed. These indicators are alerts meant to be used, along with other information provided by the user, to help you decide if you'd like to move forward with their interest in your rental. The indicators do not necessarily mean the user was involved in dishonest activity, but are meant to alert you to information related to your prospective tenant to possibly look into further.
Below is a list of common fraud indicators seen on screening reports:
- "Current address mismatch - input does not match file."
The address on the screening report may be associated with the user but does not match what the credit bureau currently has on file. If the user has moved recently, this address might not update until they apply for credit. - "Applicant's prior address has been associated with fraudulent activity."
This address is associated with a person who, at some point, had their bank account and/or credit card lost, stolen, or compromised. This does not mean the prospective tenant was necessarily the person impacted by the fraudulent activity. - "Input/file address, SSN, or telephone number has been reported more than once."
Another person has identified the associated information is their own. - "SSN may be invalid - it was either very recently or never issued by the Social Security Administration."
The social security number provided is either recently issued (within the last 5 years) or has not been verified with the credit bureau yet.
If there is a fraud indicator on the screening report you are reviewing that is not listed above, please contact TransUnion ShareAble customer support at (833) 458-6338 for more insight into this indicator.
keywords: fraud, fraud indicators, screening indicators, screening