I've made tens of thousands of dollars from people just like you. Yep that's right, I make my living by taking from you every chance I get. Best part is you make it so easy for me! I have so many ways to do this that it's hard for you to keep up with all of my methods. I'll exploit you, your buyers and make a ton of money!
This is likely the thought process from a criminal of a quickly growing crime called identity theft. What does this have to do with a real estate agent?
A prospect finds your blog and learns about the nuances of buying a home because you blog about it. Eventually they call you and after a nice conversation you agree to meet. When you meet the inevitable question arises: Are you prequalified? Usually the answer is no but I pay my bills on time and have a down payment. With a smile on your face you think to yourself, alright! Looks like I have a qualified buyer! What a great day!
Later that day the trusted loan officer you recommended to your prospect calls to tell you that this person won't qualify because someone stole their identity and ruined their credit. Ughh! Nothing could have prepared you or them for that.
What you write on your blog is likely read by hundreds or thousands of people in your community. You provide them information about local events, real estate market, quality of life but do you offer tips to secure their ability to get a loan?
That's the loan officers job! Maybe, but does this scenario affect your paycheck? This fact now makes it everyone's job.
I don't want to pay a monthly fee for credit monitoring or id theft protection and I doubt you and your prospect does either. So here are both free and low cost solutions that you can blog about:
Regular credit review: You can pull 3 credit reports a year at no cost.
Where: www.annualcreditreport.com When: Instead of pulling all three at once pull one report from each credit bureau every four months. If you choose to use a different source for a free credit report they will likely sell your information for a profit thus increasing your junk mail which now exposes your personal information even more.
Set up a fraud alert with the credit bureau. You may have to do this on a regular basis.
Guaranteed protection without having to monitor anything. Cost: A one time fee of about $30 ($10 to each credit bureau)
Credit Freeze. Where: Experian Transunion Equifax
For about a $10 fee each credit bureau will "freeze" your credit and issue you a PIN number. If you have already been a victim of ID theft it is free. Nobody can access your credit even if they have your social security number, birthdate etc. They must have the PIN number. In order to access your credit you must pay a $10 fee to "thaw" your credit and provide your PIN number. You'll have to pay another $10 to re freeze your credit again. This is better than a $30 monthly fee paid year after year. Another downside is that if you apply for credit you will have to remember to "thaw" your credit first. In case you wondering if I practice what I preach, my wife and I both have security freeze with all credit bureaus.
Of course I won't personally exploit you or your buyers. If I had titled it "How to prevent ID theft" would you have read it? I didn't think so!
Feel free to copy and paste this info into your own blog.
We've moved!
2990 Jamacha Road #136 El Cajon CA 92019
Nevin Williams NMLS #69651
I love the pictures that you used in this point. Fraud is rampant. The more desparate people are, the more that fraud occurs.
Melissa - Thanks! I thought the pics were funny ; )
Brilliant!
Such a great post Nevin. Identity theft has become so rampant people need to be more aware of safekeeping it.
Well done my friend.
Nevin...I loved the pics too! But, more importantly, the info you provide is priceless (okay, maybe not priceless, but definitely a small price to pay!) Thanks!
Craig - Thanks my friend!
Kim - Thanks! I'm glad you liked the info. Feel free to use it to educate your readers!
Nevin, good suggestion to put fraud alerts on credit reports. I'd also suggest that someone visit opt-out prescreen and add their name there to opt-out of prescreened credit offers. Stops trigger leads as well if they do it before you pull credit.
Nevin , once again great attention getting TITLE(*L*) !!!!!!!!! I'm gonna reblod this later this month !!!!
Jon - Thank you! I had a lot more on this post but deleted it so it wouldn't be so long. I included opt out pre screen, DMA's and other stuff. That'll be another blog! Great heads up suggestion though Have a great weekend!
Michael - Thanks! I do love a reblog : ) I hope this info was helpful
THANKS for including this in my outside blog Nevin! I let my lending partners here in the rain explain the lending process, I don't need to go there! You probably also realize it is rare for me to blog about my clients and specific transaction related issues, EVEN THOUGH I WOULD LOVE TO!
We need to protect our clients and be a resource for valuable information - including identity theft.
Renee - You are most welcome! Usually we do handle this sort of stuff. I figured since I already wrote it if you ever have a day where you don't want to blog you can copy and paste the ID theft info and post it. I certainly wouldn't reblog this to the public with my title! LOL Maybe this info will help protect one of your blog subscribers.
Most folks dont really understand how serious of a crime that identity theft is. Nevin, you hit the nail on the head once again with your article. I am going to forward a link to your article to folks I know as the information is timely, accurate and of course Nevinized. Way to go bro..
Going to get a loan and finding you have been a victim will make for a bad day! Thanks.
Nevin:
Thank you for this post. It is also very generous for you to allow a cut and paste, but that might get people in trouble. =)
Hello everyone! I am traveling in Seattle then off to San Diego on Saturday. I will be spending a lot of time away from my computer so please don't think I am ignoring you, it will take a while for me to answer. Thank you for reading my post and have a great weekend!
Nice Blog Title to peak someone's interest!
Great post, Nevin! I had a client's information breached after a refi loan I did for him was sold to another lender. (The perpetrator was an employee of the new lender.)
I have identity theft protection as part of my PrePaid Legal membership. It's a great option!
Good post. Thanks Nevin.
Hey You Had Me Going for a second! Catchy title. Glad your not a scoundrel.
Congrats on the Feature Nevin, and great info!
Nevin, enjoy your time in Seattle. Thanks for this post and advise to inform our readers. Like others, your title and the first paragraph made me really curious, and want to read more. ----Gloria
I'm with Mark. I had to read it, I thought no way would anyone actually admit to that. Great post. Have a great weekend.
Fraud is everywhere it seems, these days. You have to be so careful. Today two of my listings popped up on Craigslist for rent (they're not) with fake emails to contact someone.
Nevin, Amazing title and I'm very glad I read this. I didn't know about the credit freeze option - I have been through identity theft, and it is horrible. It takes so long to fix the damage. This is truly one place where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!!
Great title. You got me! Well written post.
Nevin - What great information which I have bookmarked. You just never know when or where the next scam is coming from and you need to be "on guard" at all times. Great idea about pulling a free credit report from one agency every four months, since they generally contain the same information. Thank you.
Hey- great post your header got my attention. Thanks again
Nevin, this is a great and timely blog. Way too many people don't pay any attention to their credit scores.
Thanks. Great article. Good information and really makes you think about the problem and the solutions.
Nevin - Your header certainly grabbed my attention .... very good information to spread around
You're right; I probably would not have read with the other title. Great Information, though, will definately use.
I will have to check it out, not sure how all this works but it does cause for concern.
Nevin, great information and very worthwhile to re blog. In these trying economic times identity theft is of great concern and many folks just aren't aware enough and don't take enough precautions in protecting themselves. I know of 2 folks that had this most unpleasant experience and it was a nightmare to try and recover from, one is still in the process.
Sue of Robin and Sue
I too like the pics and the great info, can not write any more tho because ....
I'll exploit you, your buyers and make a ton of money!
Nevin,
I had never heard of that credit freeze. What a great way to protect one's credit. Thank you so much for sharing the information. I am definitely going to use this tip & passing it along.
Nevin- this is an under discussed topic. It doesn't take much for people to monitor their credit. The cost of not doing so can be catastrophic.
Awesome blog ideas, Nevin, thank you. I will bookmark this and come back to write about it!
Good post. I'll take you up on re-posting it to my outside blog.
Tom
Great information. My niece had her identity stolen while still in college. It has been 10 years--the girl was caught and sent to prison--my niece testified at her trial and she is still trying to get things cleared.
She was even arested for a bench warrant that was really for the identity thief. The police would not even look at the paper work she carried in her glove box of the car that the federal prosecutor had told her to carry.
So, as you can see, identity theft can be a lot more of a problem that just ruined credit!!! I will definitely take you up on reposting this. Thanks a lot for all the info.
Look I was the first commenter on this post and now I am back again over I week later. Congrats on your feature. See you soon!
Yea, those pics are awsome!
Great post! Hopefully people will read this and take action. I will!
This situation will keep getting worse as people find more ways to steal. Good post and great information.
Interesting post. For a minute there, I thought you were going to talk about unscrupulous loan officers making all kinds of money. My bad! Thanks for the post!
This is a very good post. There are so many other ideas too. A neighbor of mine had money stolen from her account by people who 'washed' a check, probably one she had put in the mailbox in front of her house. People will drive neighborhoods, looking for flags up, and take the outgoing mail. So, drop anything that includes a check into a post office box instead of leaving them in your unsecured mailbox.
Clark - LOL thanks
Monique - Glad you can use this. Some of the best things in life are free
J Phillip - absolutely
Marney - Thank you! Writing about it might save someone. Thanks for visiting my blog
Tom - re post or write a post and use the info provided. As long as you get the info out to yor community
Barbara - OMG I can't imagine. This story has taken the motivation to protect yourself to a whole new level. I understand why the police wouldn't look at the paperwork but what a terrible and frustrating experience. I hope this nightmare ends for her soon.
Melissa - LOL Yes you were! Thanks Melissa and I'm looking forward to meeting up on Monday : )
Jerry - LOL
Scott - If "free" doesn't motivate someone to do this then nothing will.
Sajy - Thank you and thanks for visiting my blog
Paul - LOL Gotcha! If I had more time here in Seattle I would've enjoyed meeting up with you. I'll send you a PM next time I plan to come out
Yes, and there are also simple things they can do to improve a weak or bad credit score. This is a good value add to offer for a prospective buyer.
Thanks, Nevin, for making this post freely and generously available to all of us! Appreciated!
Great in every aspect. Well done!
Jason - Simple indeed but so many are too lazy.
Pam - You are welcome! Thanks for reading my post
Daniel - Thanks!
Nevin, I can tell you and I have the same sense of humor from your photos and your post! LOL! Great attention getter! My sister actually had this happen to her and didn't realize it until the criminal spent 20K and the collectors started calling. Since then, she has used all of the techniques you've mentioned. Great post! This is become more an more of a problem as our economy struggles. Thanks for the reminder! BTW- Just closed an FHA loan in 21 days! and who said it can't be done. ;-)
Dear Nevin,
A title that has no bearing on the subject is actually going to be read less. Just use the facts in the story to enhance the title. Search engines, use the title to rank your post pertaining to the subject you are writing about. Catchy titles can be made without reaching for something that isn't there. For example you can title the article: Youv'e Been Robbed By An Imposter Posing As A Real Estate Agent - Identity Theft And You. Things like that.
Hi Nevin -- I didn't know about the freeze/thaw option. All very good to know, thanks.
Anthony - Thanks! Good job on the quick close- you da man!
Jason - You are absolutely right. I'll do better tomorrow.
Chris - Excellent! Glad you read something you might be able to use.
This is important information. I didn't realize the credit freeze existed, and I think it's great to get one bureau every few months to see what's going on.
Nevin, you do have a knack for writing anxiety-producing titles! Nonetheless, thank you for this one. I fully intend to use this post as a bouncing point for a future blog post. Appreciate your tips.
Christine - So many people don't know about the credit freeze which is why I wrote this post. I also don't think people know about being able to pull credit from each bureau every 4 months to monitor their credit for free. Sounds like a few readers will be taking advantage of my suggestions.
Kathryn - Yes I do. I just hope that the material written after the title meets the readers expectations. Nothing worse than a fabulous title and a lousy post : 0
Glad you can use this and thanks for visiting my blog : )
With all that is out there on the net, I don't see how anyone can truly be protected. If the truth was know someone in the government could be sell our id to solicitors among other things.
Joyce - I understand. However I'm referring to credit theft from ID theft. Without ability to pull credit they couldn't apply for credit cards and leave you with ruined credit and bills. Thanks for stopping by and sharing!