The FBI also confirmed to “Nightline” that they do not issue CPNs and know of no government agencies that do, which leads to questions about what so-called “CPNs” actually are.
“CPNS are basically just numbers that are sometimes made up,” said Major Don Woodruff. “It could be that they give you a CPN that is actually is a social security number of someone that’s not you.”
Authorities say social security numbers that have not yet been issued to anyone can be found through flaws in certain government websites, and that synthetic identity fraud can go undetected because credit card companies rarely investigate to see if the number and the person’s name match when someone goes to open new credit.
“When the credit card companies are assuming the liability of these fraudulent charges, they do have to recoup that money in some way,” Eva Velasquez said. “That generally translates into higher fees and higher interest rates.”
When “Nightline” confronted the owner, he told us he gets the CPNs legally from an independent agency and has done nothing wrong.
To prevent falling prey to synthetic identity fraud, Velasquez said people should be on the lookout for red flags.
“When they are looking to do business with a company, they should do their homework, and look to third party verification services, such as the Better Business Bureau,” she said. “We always say anybody that’s offering an immediate clean up and immediate fix, that’s a big red flag.”
Article Appeared @http://abcnews.go.com/Business/synthetic-identity-fraud-kind-costly-id-theft-youve/story?id=32596029