What Is A CPN
Credit privacy number, credit profile number, or consumer protection number are all examples of “CPN” or “CPN number.” A CPN, as you may know, is a 9-digit number that is frequently promoted as a substitute for your Social Security Number (SSN).
Because SSNs are linked to a lot of personal information, some allege that celebrities and government leaders utilize CPNs to safeguard their privacy. However, there is no evidence to support the notion that there is a recorded valid source of CPNs.
You’ve probably seen advertisements for CPNs purporting to allow consumers with bad credit to apply for credit with a “clean slate.” Your credit report is not linked to your CPN since it is a separate number from your SSN. These businesses want you to believe that you may buy a CPN and use it instead of your Social Security number on credit applications to hide your genuine credit history from creditors.
If you are concerned about privacy or have had problems with your credit record and want to “start over,” a CPN may be a viable option. When dealing with anyone attempting to sell you a CPN, however, you should proceed with care.
What Are CPNs and How Do They Work?
CPN sellers frequently argue that the use of these numbers is legal under the United States Privacy Act of 1974. Since supplying an SSN is not specifically required by federal law, this statute permits persons to withhold their SSNs on paperwork.
Because the federal government does not mandate customers to disclose Social Security numbers on credit applications from private firms, you are free to refuse to supply it; but, the creditor is free to reject your credit if you do not provide it. Contrary to what some credit restoration firms would have you think, the US Privacy Act of 1974 prohibits the use of CPNs to substitute your genuine SSN on credit applications.
Some lenders fail to adequately check applicants’ identities, allowing some persons to get away with using CPNs—at least at first. Because lenders may not always cross-verify applications completely enough to ensure that the name on the application matches the provided SSN, some people can get away with using bogus SSNs marketed as CPNs instead of their genuine SSNs on credit applications.
What Are CPN Numbers and Where Do They Come From?
All Social Security numbers (SSNs) come from the Social Security Administration, whereas all Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) come from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) (EINs). These organizations do not issue CPNs, and neither does any other government agencies.
Many firms may offer “clean” CPN numbers for sale, but they will not tell you where these numbers came from or how they were obtained. They are unable to give credible documentation on the origins of these numbers.
Some merchants fraudulently claim to have attorneys who can seek a CPN number application from the government on your behalf, but this is impossible because the government does not issue CPNs. In actuality, unscrupulous organizations gain so-called CPNs in one of two ways, both of which are illegal:
Child identity theft and CPN numbers
CPNs are frequently legitimate Social Security numbers that have been stolen from vulnerable people like children and the elderly.
They utilize legitimate Social Security numbers taken from others, most commonly from minors, the elderly, the deceased, the destitute, or those who are jailed. Scammers target these groups because they are less likely to detect that their Social Security numbers have been stolen.
If someone claims to be able to offer you a CPN with a certain credit score or credit report, this is a significant red indicator that it might be an existing SSN that has been stolen from someone else.
They manufacture new, fictitious social security numbers that the US government has yet to issue. They achieve this by utilizing algorithms to produce 9-digit numbers and then comparing them to internet databases to determine which ones may be used to impersonate Social Security numbers. They then sell these numbers to unwitting customers as CPNs.
How Do I Obtain a CPN?
The fact is that there is no legal method to get a CPN because no official government institution issues or recognizes them. The only method to receive a CPN is to buy a stolen or false Social Security number, as mentioned above.
Identity theft using a CPN number
There are no legal means of obtaining or using CPN numbers.
While credit repair firms and other organizations that offer them may appear to be genuine, buying a phony SSN, which is exactly what a CPN is, is not. An SSN is a government-issued identification number that the government does not “sell” or make CPN applications available for. If you are in the market for a CPN Number, Caveat emptor! Buyer Beware.