The Case of the Crooked Credit Report
我的名字是刑警. 约翰问. 偷偷做的. 也许你听说过我，也许没有. Chances are you’ll need my help at some point. In 2020 alone, there were 1,387,615 reported cases of identity theft in the United States.1
我是个私家侦探. 确切地说，是信用调查员. 我的专业? 身份盗窃, the perfect marriage of crime and craftiness, forged in the mean streets and back alleys of the internet. That brings us to my current case, Bob McNally. Click "Case Study" above to read the setup.
鲍勃·麦克纳利的信用难题
The vic, Bob McNally, has lived a long and successful life. Like many wealthy people, he hadn’t paid attention to his credit score. 他为什么要? Bob has always paid his bills on time, never had any major financial issues, and used his lines of credit sparingly. 没什么好担心的... 或者他是这么想的.
It wasn’t until he tried to lease a sporty set of wheels for his kid that Bob smelled something fishy. You see, his lease application had been rejected. 就在那时他来找我. He needed my help and I knew exactly where to start: The Credit Report.
1. 联邦贸易委员会.政府,2021
There are 5 sections on a standard credit report, but 3 of them matter most when it comes to credit fraud:
•个人信息
•账户信息
•努力 & 软的调查
This section of a credit report lists basic personal information, like this:
名称: 老鲍勃·麦克纳利.
社会大发888dafa号码: xxx - xx - 1203
出生日期: 11-23-1956
地址: 信用欺诈博士，美国任何地方
电话号码: (561) 555-1212
There’s only one problem here: that's not Bob’s address.
This could be a simple mistake, but I smell a rat. Luckily, Bob can file a dispute with the reporting credit bureau. Because this info is gathered from multiple sources—like the bank or utilities—it can have typos or mistakes which may lead to fragmented credit history. This rarely has a negative impact on the credit score, but sometimes it can be an early indicator of identity theft.
A credit report contains information useful to impostors and investigators alike, but the Account Information section is where identity theft can start to become obvious. Here is where I can see all the dates Bob’s accounts were opened or closed, 他的付款记录, 信贷的使用, 账户余额, and the status of any loan payments.
Bob’s account info looks to be in good order, with one exception: one of these accounts was recently opened, 但被列为“馆藏”."
Knowing Bob’s financial and credit history, I’d say this is more of a red flag than a red herring.
This is often the most important section of a credit report. Hard and soft inquiries are generated whenever an authorized person or institution requests someone’s credit report.
Soft inquiries are those NOT generated by a prospective lender. This includes when you pull your own credit report, 银行的信用检查, or credit card companies offering you goods or services (besides a line of credit). Most importantly, soft inquiries don’t impact your credit rating.
Hard Inquiries, though, are a different story altogether.
Hard inquiries are made by a potential lender for the purpose of reviewing your history. This is usually because you've applied for a new line of credit, auto loan, or mortgage. Hard inquiries can negatively affect your credit scores, but that’s not the only reason to watch this section closely.2
An unexpected hard inquiry is a sign someone may have applied for a line of credit in your name.
2. TheBalance.com, 2021
So let’s review the facts, and just the facts. 我们的地址不正确, a suspicious new account that Bob doesn’t recognize, 最令人担忧的是, a hard inquiry from a bank he hasn’t ever heard of. It’s pretty clear to me that Bob’s fallen prey to an impostor, 一个诈骗犯, the lowest of the low: an identity thief.
Many people like Bob underestimate the importance of reading their own credit report. 但有时, tracking your credit is about protecting your identity, 你的投资, 还有你的未来. Luckily for Bob, he caught on before his financial reputation was tarnished forever.
我的名字是刑警. 约翰问. 偷偷做的. 也许你听说过我，也许没有. Chances are you’ll need my help at some point. In 2020 alone, there were 1,387,615 reported cases of identity theft in the United States.1
我是个私家侦探. 确切地说，是信用调查员. 我的专业? 身份盗窃, the perfect marriage of crime and craftiness, forged in the mean streets and back alleys of the internet. That brings us to my current case, Bob McNally. Click "Case Study" above to read the setup.
鲍勃·麦克纳利的信用难题
The vic, Bob McNally, has lived a long and successful life. Like many wealthy people, he hadn’t paid attention to his credit score. 他为什么要? Bob has always paid his bills on time, never had any major financial issues, and used his lines of credit sparingly. 没什么好担心的... 或者他是这么想的.
It wasn’t until he tried to lease a sporty set of wheels for his kid that Bob smelled something fishy. You see, his lease application had been rejected. 就在那时他来找我. He needed my help and I knew exactly where to start: The Credit Report.
1. 联邦贸易委员会.政府,2021
There are 5 sections on a standard credit report, but 3 of them matter most when it comes to credit fraud:
•个人信息
•账户信息
•努力 & 软的调查
This section of a credit report lists basic personal information, like this:
名称: 老鲍勃·麦克纳利.
社会大发888dafa号码: xxx - xx - 1203
出生日期: 11-23-1956
地址: 信用欺诈博士，美国任何地方
电话号码: (561) 555-1212
There’s only one problem here: that's not Bob’s address.
This could be a simple mistake, but I smell a rat. Luckily, Bob can file a dispute with the reporting credit bureau. Because this info is gathered from multiple sources—like the bank or utilities—it can have typos or mistakes which may lead to fragmented credit history. This rarely has a negative impact on the credit score, but sometimes it can be an early indicator of identity theft.
A credit report contains information useful to impostors and investigators alike, but the Account Information section is where identity theft can start to become obvious. Here is where I can see all the dates Bob’s accounts were opened or closed, 他的付款记录, 信贷的使用, 账户余额, and the status of any loan payments.
Bob’s account info looks to be in good order, with one exception: one of these accounts was recently opened, 但被列为“馆藏”."
Knowing Bob’s financial and credit history, I’d say this is more of a red flag than a red herring.
This is often the most important section of a credit report. Hard and soft inquiries are generated whenever an authorized person or institution requests someone’s credit report.
Soft inquiries are those NOT generated by a prospective lender. This includes when you pull your own credit report, 银行的信用检查, or credit card companies offering you goods or services (besides a line of credit). Most importantly, soft inquiries don’t impact your credit rating.
Hard Inquiries, though, are a different story altogether.
Hard inquiries are made by a potential lender for the purpose of reviewing your history. This is usually because you've applied for a new line of credit, auto loan, or mortgage. Hard inquiries can negatively affect your credit scores, but that’s not the only reason to watch this section closely.2
An unexpected hard inquiry is a sign someone may have applied for a line of credit in your name.
2. TheBalance.com, 2021
So let’s review the facts, and just the facts. 我们的地址不正确, a suspicious new account that Bob doesn’t recognize, 最令人担忧的是, a hard inquiry from a bank he hasn’t ever heard of. It’s pretty clear to me that Bob’s fallen prey to an impostor, 一个诈骗犯, the lowest of the low: an identity thief.
Many people like Bob underestimate the importance of reading their own credit report. 但有时, tracking your credit is about protecting your identity, 你的投资, 还有你的未来. Luckily for Bob, he caught on before his financial reputation was tarnished forever.
