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By Roger Trent
Fraud investigators have become proficient at decoding social security numbers; ascertaining in what locale and in what year the number was issued (See The John Cooke Fraud Report, Vol. 1, No. 1).
Unfortunately, repeat fraud perpetrators (RFPs) are becoming increasingly proficient in knowing what methods of control the insurance industry uses to track claimants. Understanding that past claims can be identified through index searches, the RFPs have a new trick.
A small percentage of the Quick Fix Credit Repair Service (QFCRS) offices, popping up on street corners across America, are “fixing” more than adverse credit problems for their customers.
We have come across a number of cases wherein these QFCRSs, using illegal methods, will obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for people who have a history of insurance claims. The EIN is a nine digit number that looks just like a social security number and the government will accept it for tax purposes.
There is no available list for decoding EINs and some people have an SSN and several EINs to confuse attempts to trace them or to trace their spotted history of insurance claims.
Investigators should keep this possibility in mind when index searches produce “no-hit” results or when SSN header searches show no information or only very recent information.
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Roger Trent is a private Investigator with LePat & Associates in Decatur, GA.
© 1995 John Cooke Fraud Report