CIFAS Registered - now no credit cards approved at all

elisebutt65

Just a quickie really.

Last year I registered on CIFAS as there was some fraud going on using my ID. New credit being set up in my name with catalogues.

Now I find I am unable to get any credit approved, apart from American Express in November, who actually bothered to call me when the CIFAS thing was thrown up by their systems.

When I applied for credit cards previously I either got approved straightaway or I'd get a page stating they would get back to me by post and now I get an automatic decline screen.

I have a few cards but nothing excessive, I earn a good wage and have no black marks against me on my Credit rating.. I do have Westcot chasing me for a made up debt that I am currently writing to them to get wiped, but this does not show on my Credit file at all, hence why I am so sure it is a made up debt - and the fact that it's for Shop Direct with whom I have no association whatsoever as I don't buy from catalogues.

So is it the CIFAS thing or have Westcot managed to secretly put a black mark on me where I can't see it?

noah271007

You need to get the CIFAS that you registered for your own protection removed as this often can be very counterproductive, as lenders more than not would decline automatically for every credit related applications even though you are the victim of ID fraud for their own interests.

As for Wescot DCA, they have no powers to register defaults, only the lender (their client). I feel maybe there is an incorrect address link that would have prevented from you seeing ALL data on your credit report. My advice to you is to write to the lender concerned (do you know which lender?) and get them to look into it ASAP.

Until you have done the two tasks, it is best to keep off the apply button.

elisebutt65

noah271007 wrote: »

You need to get the CIFAS that you registered for your own protection removed as this often can be very counterproductive, as lenders more than not would decline automatically for every credit related applications even though you are the victim of ID fraud for their own interests.

As for Wescot DCA, they have no powers to register defaults, only the lender (their client). I feel maybe there is an incorrect address link that would have prevented from you seeing ALL data on your credit report. My advice to you is to write to the lender concerned (do you know which lender?) and get them to look into it ASAP.

Until you have done the two tasks, it is best to keep off the apply button.

Well Cifas has already picked up 3 applications for credit in my name that I would have not known about so not having extra credit is worth the £15 that I paid for it so it would be a bit simple of me to cancel it now???

I've spoken to the lender - Shop Direct/Marshall Ward and they have no knowledge of the debt that Westcot are talking about as I've never been a customer of theirs ever! Westcot are supposed to be getting back to me by Wednesday with details of this so called debt as I sent one of the letters from the templates on here.

Fredrickson did this to me last year as well and in the end they only went away after I sent them a letter stating that I would charge them for every letter and phone call received by myself at £40 a go:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

benoit

I am quite interested in the idea of Cifas. I can see how it might hinder future applications for credit but i have all the credit i need/want at the moment so i would not be too worried about being turned down.

I think i might register myself to have the extra peace of mind that it will provide me with. Can you tell me where you registered for your Cifas please Elisebutt?

wayne99

http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=565-85

CannyJock

wayne99 wrote: »

http://www.cifas.org.uk/default.asp?edit_id=565-85

Yup, according to the rulebook it's not supposed to cause automatic rejections, but does mean that applications can't be automatically accepted.

Whether you believe that it will have a negative effect in real life depends on your level of cynicism. For the record, mine is off the scale

izools

Whilst CIFAS themselves intend for this kind of marker to have no effect, I play into the school of thought that it can. For one thing, extra cost to the creditor. They have to pay for: Making a manual decision rather than leaving it up to the computer, writing to the applicant asking for ID, paying someone to check the ID, sending it back, etc.

Some (I would imagine) simply say "Sorry, we aren't prepared to pay for all that so NO, you can't have it". Obviously they can't say that is the reason when they decline you so they use something ambiguous like "Not meeting our criteria" or "As a business decision we are unable to offer you the facility".

Which is a good way of establishing whether it's the CIFAS marker - if it is, they will give a reason other than credit scoring typically

milan_ns

My landlord has the CIFAS thingy. It popped up on my credit report (it's tied to the address).

Could it be the reason why Three is constantly rejecting me for a phone contract (even though I used to be their customer)?

They even refused my PAYG Skype phone order .

izools

milan_ns wrote: »

My landlord has the CIFAS thingy. It popped up on my credit report (it's tied to the address).

Could it be the reason why Three is constantly rejecting me for a phone contract (even though I used to be their customer)?

They even refused my PAYG Skype phone order .

If they refused a PAYG order it's because the address entered didn't match up with the payment card

elisebutt65

izools wrote: »

Whilst CIFAS themselves intend for this kind of marker to have no effect, I play into the school of thought that it can. For one thing, extra cost to the creditor. They have to pay for: Making a manual decision rather than leaving it up to the computer, writing to the applicant asking for ID, paying someone to check the ID, sending it back, etc.

They don't do all that though - the creditor just has to ring you and ask for your CIFAS password as CIFAS have done all the ID checks already.

milan_ns

izools wrote: »

If they refused a PAYG order it's because the address entered didn't match up with the payment card

I wish you were right, but this was not the case. They refused my purchase several times over several weeks, even though delivery address was my credit card billing address.

Eventually I just went to the shop and bought it (no quidco ), but I couldn't get a contract phone at all. Funny thing is that they called me with a special offer (I was their customer in the past) and my application didn't go through! Go figure!

After that I checked my credit report and everything looked peachy apart from that CIFAS thingy set against my address.