New credit history scam.

We can get you a new, clean credit file.

What you need to know: Not legally. Some firms will try to get customers to apply for new taxpayer identification or Employer Identification Numbers (also called an EIN) for the purpose of building a new credit history. It's a felony, says Ridout.

But the reason people get taken is that con artists don't explain the whole scheme, so consumers don't realize what they are being asked to do. Consumers also may not know that getting a new number to create a new credit history is illegal. And the whole concept is based on faulty reasoning, says Ridout. Since the new file will list the same name and address, it would still have all the same information and history, even with a new number.

Beware if anyone talks about getting you a new credit file, file segregation or a fresh credit history.