So when Bonnie said she’d like me to look into what her boyfriend was really up to, I had all the tricks I needed. A call to TRW and a few hours on the computer gave me his credit report, his bank balance, his property records. Suspicions confirmed: he was nowhere near as well-off as he had been claiming, and some of his assets were frozen. DMV records showed he still had a car he told Bonnie he had sold. I felt bad about all this—I wasn’t trying to undermine her relationship. But she broke off their engagement.