We’ve all heard the age-old adage, “if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”  When it comes to scams and misleading offers, being wary of “too good” will often save you a whole lot of “bad” down the line.  But, what if someone promises you a fresh start when it comes to battling a poor Credit score?  This so-called fresh start comes in the form of what is known as a CPN, and unfortunately, it is in fact too good to be true.

• What is a CPN
• How do CPN Scams Work
• How Do CPNs Differ from Other Identification Numbers?
• How to Avoid CPN Scams
• How To Improve Your Credit Legitimately 

What is a CPN? 

A CPN, known fully as a credit privacy Number, is a nine-digit number set up to resemble a Social Security Number (SSN).  Unlike SSNs, however, CPNs are not issued by the government and are in fact not legitimate (nor are they legal).

CPNs are effectively scams that promise people fresh starts for their credit or bankruptcy history but often are products of illegal activities that can get users in legal troubles of their own.

CPNs can also go by a number of alternative names, such as:

• Credit protection number
• Credit profile number
• Secondary credit number

How Do CPN Scams Work?

CPNs are offered by shady companies promising to cover up your bad credit, all for a certain price, of course.  They will claim that you can use the CPN rather than your SSN when applying for new forms of credit, and that your not-so-great history will be hidden.  What they don’t tell you, however, is that the numbers they provide are typically gathered in a few not-so-legal ways. 

One of the most common ways CPN scammers gather functioning numbers is by stealing Social Security numbers from people such as minors or the deceased, due to there being little to no credit activity or monitoring on those numbers.  This means that when you go to use the CPN you purchased, you will effectively be committing identity theft, whether you mean to or not.  And let’s be honest, the last thing we need is scammers tricking you into ruining a 7-year-old’s credit.

Another, more complex, way in which CPN scammers create CPN numbers that will pass as Social Security numbers is via something called synthetic identity theft.  With synthetic identity theft, scammers will typically take an existing Social Security number and combine it with fictitious information such as addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth.  They then tell customers to use the fake information as a form of identity protection, when in reality they’ve set you up with a false (and illegal) identity.  Unless you’re an international super-spy, false identities are only good for landing you in prison.  

Sometimes, the CPNs they provide are actually computer-generated numbers belonging to nobody, but are illegally validated which still ultimately ends up being fraud.

To put it simply, CPNs work by tricking people into committing identity fraud.

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How Do CPNs Differ from Other Identification Numbers?

When it comes to identification numbers, there are a number of official and legitimate types.

• Social Security number (SSN):  Social Security numbers are issued by the Social Security Administration under the federal government, and are used by U.S. citizens when applying for a number of things that require identity verification (driver’s license, employment, filing taxes, etc.).
• Individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN):  ITINs are issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) under certain situations for “authorized non-citizens.”  This applies to any immigrant worker who is in the U.S. so that they are able to file and pay taxes (since they don’t have a Social Security number).
• Employer identification number (EIN):  EINs are issued by the IRS and are given to business owners so that they may do things such as open bank accounts and file taxes under the business’s name.

There is really one main way CPNs differ from the above numbers, and that’s the fact that the three numbers above are legal and legitimate, while CPNs are not.

How to Avoid CPN Scams 

Some scams are complex and highly convincing, but not CPNs.  The most effective way to avoid a CPN scam is to simply know about them.  If you are aware that there are no easy fixes to your credit, you should be able to avoid CPN scammers.  When it comes to people claiming they can help your credit score, pay attention to any terms similar to CPN, never agree to using falsified information, and certainly be skeptical of any services demanding you to pay upfront in order to fix your credit.

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How To Improve Your Credit Legitimately 

If you thought a CPN was the answer to your credit woes, unfortunately, that’s not the case.  The good news, now that you know that, you can start looking for legit means to improve your credit (and super bonus: you stay out of prison).

Some simple tips for repairing your credit include:

• Pay on time.  This one is simple, when your bills and payments are due, pay them.  At the very least make the minimum payment.  Also, if it seems like everything is due at the same time and that’s causing issues, reach out and see if you can change your due dates.
• Send a pay-for-delete offer.  If you have delinquent accounts bogging down your credit, but you are capable of paying them off, reach out to the creditor and offer to pay the account in full in order to have any negative marks removed from your credit report.
• Send a goodwill request for deletion.  This is one of those, “it never hurts to ask” moments.  If you’ve been good about making your payments on time lately, you can ask for sympathy from creditors (not notorious for their kind hearts, but you never know).  While it won’t always work, if you can present your case for goodwill deletion to the right person, you just might get lucky. Worst case they say “no.”
• Space out or even hold off on applying for credit.  If you’re already struggling with your credit report, applying for a new credit card or loan could have a further negative impact.  When you make these types of applications, lenders will contact a credit bureau, which leads to a hard inquiry into your credit report.  This will cause a dip in your credit score, and although it should only last a few months, too many applications at once could have longer-term effects.

The bottom line, stay away from CPNs or anything that resembles one.  There’s no quick fix to bad credit, but there are steps you can take to right your credit ship. 

Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in marketing, dispute resolution, law, and politics. When he isn’t writing he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach. 

Sources

• KTEN News – Yes, You Can Go to Jail If You Use a Cpn (Or Credit Profile Number)
• Hubbs Law Firm – Falsely Representing a Social Security Number in Miami, FL
• IRS – Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
• IRS – Employer ID Numbers
• Nerd Wallet – How to Improve Credit Fast