Shop Direct Fraud

fallen121

Hello,

I received the following letter dated 7th April 2011. It seems to be a bit different than some of the letters people have reported on here.

Here's the letter:

Dear Mrs.....[My Surname]

Thank you for your enquiry.

Unfortunately, our information shows that it may not be appropriate to fulfil your request at the address you have supplied. This may be for one of a number of reasons, including a previous request from yourself.

We are sorry to disappoint you. Details of your request and our decision will of course remain strictly confidential.

Yours sincerely,

etc.

There were actually 3 copies of the letter, all identical, all the same date, all arrived in separate envelopes.

My only connection with catalogue shopping is an account with Kays at this address, but I haven't used it in over two years and the last time I checked the balance was zero.

I Googled "Shop Direct Fraud" and came up with some worrying cases where people had had accounts setup at their address and then changed to another address where good were delivered where the original person had no knowledge of this. Have I been the attempted victim of something similar but it has been stopped, i.e. Shop Direct would not deliver to the "other" address?

I have several questions about this:

1) Will this affect my credit rating?

2) if I phone up it doesn't sound like they will tell me anything, so is it worth me paying for a phone call to an 0844 number?

3) if someone is using my name and address but nothing is missing from my Bank or Credit card accounts, what can I realistically do?

4) Should I check my Kays balance is zero and should I shut my account?

fermi

Well, as you've probably worked out, Kays or whatever they are now, are part of shop direct.

Something is certainly going on with the account you have, or someone has attempted to set up a new one?

1) Depends what has happened with the account. If nothing has been ordered and not paid for, then impact should be zero or minimal, but it would still be best to check. If fraud has been attempted or suspected, then a CIFAS marker may have been placed?

2) I think they have a 0800 number for ID theft?

3) CIFAS protective registration is one possibility.

4) Certainly check the account.

Also check your credit reports soonish once you have spoken to Kays.

fermi

http://www.kandco.com/help/en/online-help-system.page?cm_re=Footer-_-Text+Link-_-Help+Pages

What can I do if I feel I have been the victim of identity theft?

If you feel you have been the victim of identity theft, then you can take the following action:

1. Contact our dedicated Identity theft team, where you will be assigned a personal case worker who will deal with the matter for you. They can be contacted at:

Identity Theft Team, Shop Direct Group Ltd, Thynne Street, Bolton, BL3 6AX
0800 0151 290 or alternatively, click here to complete an ID theft form.

2. Apply for a copy of your personal credit report to ensure there are no unknown transactions or applications. You can apply for your credit file from the following agencies:

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