Understanding Issues on TransUnion Credit & Background Checks

Fraud Indicators on TransUnion Credit & Background Reports

TransUnion may flag certain fraud indicators in an applicant’s background and credit check report. These indicators are visible under the Score Factors on the Credit Report in the Credit & Background tab. While these fraud indicators are not factored into VERO’s Lumen formulas, they are provided by TransUnion to offer additional context for managers.

How to view fraud indicators:

Fraud indicators are listed under Score Factors in the Credit Report section of the Credit & Background tab of the applicant’s application.

You may want to review these in more detail and potentially request more info from the applicant if there are concerns based of your internal processes.

Common Fraud Indicators:

• "Current address mismatch - input does not match file."
  ​The address on the screening report does not match the address that was reported on the application. If the user has moved recently, the 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."
  ​The information has been reported on multiple credit reports. Most commonly this is related to the address, for example if multiple people live at that same address and it is included on their reports.

• "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.

This is not an all encompassing list nor does TransUnion provide VERO with any additional details or a full list of their fraud indicators that can be returned.

Why an Applicant's Credit Score or Report May Be N/A or Blank

In some cases, an applicant’s credit score or background report may be marked as N/A or blank. Here are a few reasons this might happen:

1. Confirm SSN/ITIN Provided

An applicant must provide a SSN or ITIN to complete a background and credit check. If the applicant selects “I don’t have an SSN or ITIN,” they may skip the background check process entirely. In such cases, the Renter Profile tab will show N/A for the SSN.

When applicants select "I don't have an SSN or ITIN" they are required to leave a note stating the reason why. The note can be visible by navigating to the Credit & Background check tab and hovering over the red exclamation point next to Credit Score:

2. Check for Sufficient Credit History

If an applicant has provided an SSN/ITIN, but the credit report still shows N/A, it could be due to insufficient credit history. This is common for younger applicants or those with minimal credit activity. Even if a credit score cannot be generated, the applicant’s background report may still be available. Check the Score Factors section of the Credit Report to confirm whether a lack of credit history is the issue.

3. Ensure Report is Not Expired

Background and credit reports are valid for 30 days. If the application is older than 30 days, the report may have expired. In this case, the applicant will need to complete a new background and credit check. Contact VERO Support to confirm if this is the case.

4. Verify Background & Credit Check Was Enabled

If the background and credit check result is N/A and none of the above issues apply, it's worth confirming that the background and credit screening was properly enabled for the applicant. Screening criteria can be set at the company, portfolio, or property level, and may vary depending on the applicant type.

To confirm this, check that the Background & Credit Check option is enabled in the Screening Setup for the relevant applicant type.