Someone has applied for a credit card at my address?

annah1212

Hi all,

Sorry if this is the wrong place for this question but here goes ....

A couple of weeks back, I received a letter at my address for someone who doesn't live here and has never lived here, advising them that their application for a credit card had been declined. (Before anyone says it - I know it's against the law to open post not addressed to you but as I'm the only person living at my house and I've been here a long time, I never get post for anyone else so I tend to open it all without checking who it's addressed to!)

I was obviously worried that someone had apparently tried to obtain credit at my address and about the effect that them being declined might have on my own credit rating. I wrote to the company to ask whether they had simply sent the letter to the wrong address or whether someone really had applied for credit using my address, and I also wrote to Equifax as the letter stated that the credit search had been done by them, explaining that this person doesn't live here and I don't want an association with them on my credit report.

I haven't heard back from the credit card company but got a letter from Equifax this morning telling me they couldn't help without a credit report reference number. I didn't know what they meant so I phoned them and the lady advised me to buy my credit report from their website and that would tell me whether I had a financial association with this other person, which could be removed if I then wrote to them again. However, having now obtained my report, it seems that "financial associations" are people you have made joint credit applications with or held joint accounts with - no one appears there but would I expect to find this lady in that section if she's applied for credit at my address but without using my name?

Basically, all I want to know is whether this person being declined for credit at my address is going to have any effect on my own credit rating and if so, what can I do? Equifax are really not being terribly helpful so I remain confused. Sorry for long rambling question but thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer

CLAPTON

credit ratings are personal and not associated with your address.

however it makes sense to keep an eye on your credit records just in case.

mo786uk

Is there not a bit on there that shows what searches have been carried out in your name?

What name id the credit card application have on it?

annah1212

Yes, there's a bit showing searches in my name, which all seem correct, but the name of the person on the letter is nothing like my name apart from the middle initial being the same. I didn't think looking at my credit report would show the other person's credit searches as obviously we're not the same person, but the Equifax woman made me think there would be a section for other people who have been searched at the same address or something, and there wasn't.

izools

annah1212 - you needn't worry, this won't affect your credit status one single bit. Just return the letter to sender (I'm guessing Barclaycard?) and they will close the file.

As the applicant has a different name and date of birth to you, the search won't have been carried out against your credit file - it is the individual - not the address - that has a credit file. You could have a lodger who is bankrupt with loads of CCJs and Defaults and they wouldn't prevent you from obtaining credit unless you applied for something joint names in the past as this would have created a financial link. I presume there aren't any recent searches by Barclaycard on your Equifax file? There shouldn't be. You can't see searches made by other people at your address.

In this instance, you wouldn't have been affected. Good that you've got your eye on the ball with this but you needn't do anything except return the letter

annah1212

Thank you izools - that's really helpful. I'd be interested to know why you suspected Barclaycard, is this the kind of thing they normally get up to? Actually in this case it's a company I've never heard of before - Creation Financial Services?? I googled them and they are a real company offering credit cards and underwriting some store cards as well but I can't say they ring any bells with me. I've returned the letter and explained I don't know who this person is ... I'm still hopeful they've sent the letter to the wrong address rather than it being something sinister. I live in a very long street so there are lots of other houses whose post might come to me if they got one digit in the house number wrong, if you see what I mean ....

annah1212

PS Sorry, forgot to say - have checked all the recent credit searches against my name and there are none I don't recognise - last one was Halifax when I switched my bank account to them in January, nothing since then.

izools

Great.

I suspected Barclaycard as they are one of only two credit card providers in the UK that exclusively search Equifax - the other being, as you say, Creation. All the others primarily search Experian instead of Equifax.

Main thing is, no harm done to you

annah1212

Ahhhhh, now it all makes sense! That's really interesting about Equifax, good to know for future reference. Thanks for all your help, much appreciated and has taken a load off my mind

Fruit_and_Nut_Case

annah1212 wrote: »

(Before anyone says it - I know it's against the law to open post not addressed to you but as I'm the only person living at my house and I've been here a long time, I never get post for anyone else so I tend to open it all without checking who it's addressed to!)

Postal Services Act 2000

Postal_Services_Act_2000_84(3) wrote:

A person commits an offence if, intending to act to a person’s detriment and without reasonable excuse, he opens a postal packet which he knows or reasonably suspects has been incorrectly delivered to him.

You may be able to claim that you had a reasonable excuse in that you were attempting to prevent a possible fraud and that time was of the essence. A lawyer may shoot me down on that one, though.

mo786uk

OP is clear as they didnt appear to be acting to someones detriment without excuse!

OP, I agree if the card is not in your name then you have nowt to worry about. If it happens again then I would be concerned that someone is using your address.