MSE News: Got an Equifax letter saying you were hacked? The helpline's struggling...

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  • Jack_Maunders
    Jack_Maunders Posts: 1 Newbie
    edited 27 November 2017 at 5:40PM
    I received the letter on 15th November stating they were hacked in May. I have written to them asking why they took 6 months to notify me. I have also given details of the following.
    On 17th November, I received a parking Penalty Charge Notice in respect of a car I did not own, in a car park I was not in on the date of the offence. I assumed that the Parking Company had checked the address of the car registration with DVLA. It is therefore apparent that my identity has been stolen, preumably as a result of the Equifax hack. I have therefore written to the Parking company, DVLA and the local Police. The Police referred me to Surrey Police and I have registered the report with them and Action Fraud.

    I must admit that I am now waiting with baited breath to see how else my stolen identity has been used, and concerned as to what I can do about it.
  • RG2015
    RG2015 Posts: 5,821
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    I received the letter on 15th November stating they were hacked in May. I have written to them asking why they took 6 months to notify me. I have also given details of the following.
    On 17th November, I received a parking Penalty Charge Notice in respect of a car I did not own, in a car park I was not in on the date of the offence. I assumed that the Parking Company had checked the address of the car registration with DVLA. It is therefore apparent that my identity has been stolen, preumably as a result of the Equifax hack. I have therefore written to the Parking company, DVLA and the local Police. The Police referred me to Surrey Police and I have registered the report with them and Action Fraud.

    I must admit that I am now waiting with baited breath to see how else my stolen identity has been used, and concerned as to what I can do about it.
    Sorry that you have been the subject of identity theft. It is a great concern for everyone who received a letter.

    Could anyone explain how the DVLA could have Jack's name and address on their database in respect of a car he does not own.
  • Doc_N
    Doc_N Posts: 8,267
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    Sorry that you have been the subject of identity theft. It is a great concern for everyone who received a letter.

    Could anyone explain how the DVLA could have Jack's name and address on their database in respect of a car he does not own.

    That does seem odd. But isn't a more likely explanation simply that for whatever reason DVLA gave the details of the wrong car?

    It does happen.
  • Steve059
    Steve059 Posts: 2,686
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    Obvious scam letters like this are the reason I've keep my shredder in the hallway.
    If you fold it in half, will an Audi A4 fit in a Citroen C5? :)
  • vertex
    vertex Posts: 181
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    Most people register with all three. The third one being Experian which is free via the MSE Credit Club. It is not at all overkill because not all banks use all three, particularly for searches which is always the first sign of any fraudulent activity.

    So if I sign up to Noddle and Experian too, how does this help track fraudulent activity? Will I get an email if my rating suddenly drops? Or can it go into more detail? (such as if a credit card was registered in my name).

    If my score does suddenly drops, what can I do about it? Who would I call to get it sorted?

    Thanks
  • RG2015
    RG2015 Posts: 5,821
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    vertex wrote: »
    So if I sign up to Noddle and Experian too, how does this help track fraudulent activity? Will I get an email if my rating suddenly drops? Or can it go into more detail? (such as if a credit card was registered in my name).

    If my score does suddenly drops, what can I do about it? Who would I call to get it sorted?

    Thanks
    I always check the searches, both mine and others' and make sure that I know why each search has taken place. Some searches are common to all three CRSs but others only appear on one or two of the CRAs.

    I am sure other MSE members will give their advice on this issue.
  • vertex
    vertex Posts: 181
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    RG2015 wrote: »
    I always check the searches, both mine and others' and make sure that I know why each search has taken place. Some searches are common to all three CRSs but others only appear on one or two of the CRAs.

    I am sure other MSE members will give their advice on this issue.

    Thanks. So do you manually log into each one once a month? (Ive learnt so much since getting my Equifax letter!)
  • RG2015
    RG2015 Posts: 5,821
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    vertex wrote: »
    Thanks. So do you manually log into each one once a month? (Ive learnt so much since getting my Equifax letter!)
    Noddle (CallCredit) and MSE (Equifax) only update once a month. The new Equifax Protect can be updated daily and GiffGaff (CallCredit) automatically updates on login.

    Now I have the free GiffGaff credit reporting I do not need to log in to Noddle as the data is exactly the same.

    I generally log in to MSE Equifax once a month on the date it is updated. With Equifax Protect and GiffGaff, I log in once or twice a week.
  • I got my letter today - so sign me up to the growing list of apoplectic Equifax hackees. I assume, chronologically, letters are being received in declining amount of ripped off information ( as Equifax perceive it ). My address, DOB and mobile phone numbers have supposedly been hacked - but how do I know it's not more than that ??!!
    Thank you for the contributors to this forum for making me not waste my time any further by phoning the 'hot-line'. I certainly expect financial compensation for this - it has taken me a good hour to digest fully the complex information on four sides of A4 and to check on-line that the letter itself was not a hoax ! If I were a company they'd be charging £50 administration cost for such a time input. It is only with a large regulatory fine for incompetence and substantial compensation to those affected that companies will divert enough of their profits to combat such IT breaches.
    I have to say as well though , that for those who are criminally prosecuted for hacking, the fines and prison sentences must be substantially increased as well. As we are an increasingly technology/computer based society we will rapidly fall apart if we cannot reduce the number of these cyber outrages.
  • andromedean
    andromedean Posts: 1,774 Forumite
    edited 2 December 2017 at 12:49PM
    Doc_N wrote: »
    It applies very much to British customers, and I wasn't prepared to sign up to the free services while at the same time signing away my rights to take legal action against them via a class action.

    You can, however, obtain, on request, an assurance from them that it will not limit any legal rights, and that's what we've all done in this family. You never know what's round the corner, and I think this fiasco has yet to be fully played out as more and more people come to realise its impact.

    I've had a look at the T&C written well before this breach, and it's nothing like the US one, it doesn't mention the word arbitration clauses or waivers at all. Have you seen it?
    15. Our liability to you
    1. We are responsible for all loss and damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breach of these Terms or our negligence. Loss or damage is foreseeable if it was an obvious consequence of our breach or if it would have been expected by you and us at the time we entered into this contract, if we had been asked what loss or damage would be suffered by you as a result of our breach of these Terms or our negligence.

    https://www.equifax.co.uk/About-us/Terms_and_conditions.html

    The US one says this
    AGREEMENT TO RESOLVE ALL DISPUTES BY BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE SECTION CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS BY REQUIRING ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES (EXCEPT AS SET FORTH BELOW) AND A WAIVER OF THE ABILITY TO BRING OR PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION, CLASS ARBITRATION, OR OTHER REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. ARBITRATION PROVIDES A QUICK AND COST EFFECTIVE MECHANISM FOR RESOLVING DISPUTES, BUT YOU SHOULD BE AWARE THAT IT ALSO LIMITS YOUR RIGHTS TO DISCOVERY AND APPEAL

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/09/08/what-to-know-before-you-check-equifaxs-data-breach-website/?utm_term=.cb5cea0fa0e2

    Where did you write to, this place? Equifax Limited, Customer Service Centre, P.O. Box 10036, Leicester, LE3 4FS. What exactly was their reply?

    PS look forward to the UK having this type of US agreement in the future when we can be bullied into accepting them being a small country with little clout and free of a political entity of a comparable size the EU!
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