UK Credit Reference Agencies Unfit For Purpose and must be reformed - Discuss

innovate

A_Flock_Of_Sheep wrote: »

I may be paranoid but it seems a funny coincidence savers are being sucked into "credit reportable" accounts that feed the CRA's with data.

You are paranoid.

There is no issue with anyone's current accounts to be reported on their CRA files as long as they manage the accounts properly and don't get late payment and other markers. Mind you, any amount of markers wouldn't matter unless you wanted to apply for credit.

Nobody cares a damn about how many "credit reportable" accounts anyone has.

innovate

Victim, if you are as smart and experienced as you are trying to make out, why are you using an Internet forum to try and make your case against the CRAs? If you had a serious case, and enough balls, you would take your case to Court. I reckon you have neither of the above. You just want to have a good rant, and in the process insult those posters who do not agree with your ranting.

As an aside, dismissing arguments by the sheer fact that somebody is only half your age is rather childish. There is a good chance that I am even older than you are, yet I wouldn't expect you (or anyone else) to accept my reasoning because I am the oldest. But I most certainly can draw more sense out of newbieboy's posts than of your venomous rants.

VictimOfImpersonation

innovate wrote: »

Victim, if you are as smart and experienced as you are trying to make out, why are you using an Internet forum to try and make your case against the CRAs? If you had a serious case, and enough balls, you would take your case to Court. I reckon you have neither of the above. You just want to have a good rant, and in the process insult those posters who do not agree with your ranting.

As an aside, dismissing arguments by the sheer fact that somebody is only half your age is rather childish. There is a good chance that I am even older than you are, yet I wouldn't expect you (or anyone else) to accept my reasoning because I am the oldest. But I most certainly can draw more sense out of newbieboy's posts than of your venomous rants.

I did not say I was smart. I did not say I was eloquent. Others take fun in knocking my unpopular views largely because I so easily criticise the financial services industry upon which so many Brits rely for their living. That's tough, but I am not going to pull my punches to suit sensitive young souls who fancy themselves against their peers, nor older types who have managed to steer a path through upset and remain employed in the industry.

I worked in financial services for three decades. For the first decade I was proud to say so. For the second I became disillusioned and swapped careers for a while, and in the third I returned in banking. It was while I was working for a bank that I was hit by identity fraud. I therefore had access to information most victims do not.

You can call my views rants if you like, but I am not going to hold back on calling the whole financial services industry discredited, stinking and no good. That's what it is. There is no visible good in it anywhere.

There is not a single part of it I can point to now and say "I think those guys are doing good" or I "recommend" this product or that team. Not one single aspect of it. I worked in the industry and purchased many of its long term products yet all those that are now managing those products (except my noriginal employer so far in regard to the final salary pension) are disgracefully reneging on the orginal contracts in so many ways you would be amazed at the tonnage of paper amendments and constructs they have issued between them since the original contracts were issued. That is all terribly sad when you consider how proud I was to represent the companies I worked for in the early days, and doubly so because subsequently I came to know and understand so many parts of the industry.

I am an expert in nothing really, but I have studied widely and worked in far more branches of the business than most, plus I was a member of a rarified group who were habitually far more exam-and-training-and-experience qualified in the early days than industry practitioners ever become thesedays.

No part of the industry is any longer about high principles and reputations and superlative service. Reflections upon my standards are therefore in many ways dinosaur droppings to those that work in it now. But I will not shy from dropping them !

I did not dismiss Newbieboy's views because of his age but rather because he disrespected my experience and apparently also that of some of his "long experienced" team under him. He basically wanted me to know that he tells the older members of his team (those with 'this life experience' which I took to mean similar to mine) how to do their job and of course he could not resist using his age as a demonstrator of his unusual success versus his peers perhaps.

Anyway, you ask why an internet forum for my complaints ? I say why not and where better than MSE?

What case in any event do you think I should take to Court ? Did I say that I was damaged to the extent I must seek recompense?
I am not a compo seeker, I am a principles man! I am not a normal punter. I am generally ugly enough to protect my own affairs either before or after the event - my main reason for airing my views is to make life as difficult as possible for big business to disrespect normal punters because if they try then it will be exposed to one degree or another if I hear about it.

Of course I know that I have limited effect quite often, but every now and then, I see changes forced through by FCA or OFT and others that may in small part have reached their ears because of the noise I and others a little bit like me made in forums like this.

:xmassign:

meer53

OP's user name says it all really. Happened to them years ago and cannot get over it.

!!!! happens. Move on.

A_Flock_Of_Sheep

innovate wrote: »

Nobody cares a damn about how many "credit reportable" accounts anyone has.

I care how many reportable accounts I have on my CRA file because I don't want any and value my privacy. Something which is for ever being diminished in the UK through people needing to have their current accounts "whispered" about to the cash cow CRA's through to Supermarket bonus cards offering "rewards" in exchange for your personal information and shopping habits. The list is ever growing. The "right" to privacy is being eroded because people "don't care".

You and countless others may not really care a jot but there are still a few people around like me that value their privacy and anonymity and as such choose to feed CRA files with carp and don't partake in "sweeteners" in exchange for helping them or any organisation.

VictimOfImpersonation

meer53 wrote: »

OP's user name says it all really. Happened to them years ago and cannot get over it.

!!!! happens. Move on.

It happened again last month. A major credit card company with whom I have done business for years issued a new card in my name without lack of my middle name being queried and with a completely incorrect date of birth and the application included a bank sort code and account number that belonged to some other unfortunate with a different name. They delivered the card and PIN and it was maxxed out all during a period when all my mail was held at the sorting office. Haven't got to the bottom of it yet, and they show little appetite for it. Have you ?

You work for a bank fraud department. Says it all really. !!!! happens and banks cause it, and all you can say is !!!! happens. Maybe you should "Move on" ...

meer53

VictimOfImpersonation wrote: »

It happened again last month. A major credit card company with whom I have done business for years issued a new card in my name without lack of my middle name being queried and with a completely incorrect date of birth and the application included a bank sort code and account number that belonged to some other unfortunate with a different name. They delivered the card and PIN and it was maxxed out all during a period when all my mail was held at the sorting office. Haven't got to the bottom of it yet, and they show little appetite for it. Have you ?

You work for a bank fraud department. Says it all really. !!!! happens and banks cause it, and all you can say is !!!! happens. Maybe you should "Move on" ...

Banks don't "cause" fraud. Fraudsters cause fraud.

I've had fraud on my accounts, more than once. Neither time was anything to do with the bank or the card issuer. I don't stress over it, it was years ago, i have moved on.

I don't work in a fraud department.

VictimOfImpersonation

meer53 wrote: »

Banks don't "cause" fraud. Fraudsters cause fraud.

I've had fraud on my accounts, more than once. Neither time was anything to do with the bank or the card issuer. I don't stress over it, it was years ago, i have moved on.

I don't work in a fraud department.

You work for a large bank. You dissemble. You ignore my experience and quote your own in its place.

Banks are neglecting our personal data every day. Yours is not immune.

I say once again the following:

A large credit card issuer with whom I have had an account for many years recently issued a new card for an internet application made in my partial name (not my full name) and with a completely incorrect date of birth. Simultaneously it noted a bank account claimed to be mine by sort code and account number only. The bank account belonged to another victim of impersonation. The bank apparently checked out my creditworthiness - I assume via a CRA but possibly they were dumb enough to do this one without CRA check because none appear in my CRA alerts (but we have learned that many don't of course because they are secret). They were certainly dumb enough to accept an application with total bollox input other than my part name and address.

The card was applied for, delivered to my address (apparently) whilst my Royal Mail was being held at the sorting office, and it was maxed out in local stores all while my mail was held at the sorting office. The card company advised me that all their cards go by Royal Mail although I have experience to doubt it, and sincerely hope the bank are wrong else we must bring Royal Mail into the question.

The card company saw nothing wrong in a new card immediately being maxed out and simply sent me an over credit limit charge notice. I queried it as I have never been over limit.

They had no idea what they had done.

Yes fraudsters commit fraud, but as we have seen in the last five years, rather too much fraud starts in banks and banks do not do enough to prevent it on many levels.

The police are not involved in my case because they never are. The banks are not investigating because they never do. I am investigating by forcing information from the banks involved. I embarrass them. I embarrassed them last time too. Their representatives are weak. They want me to believe their standards are as high as mine in this and so they give up information when I demand it to try to demonstrate that are reasonable people, and as reasonable and reasoned in their approach as me. So much so that I also have a full direct line telephone number and full name of the person I embarrassed into talking properly to me so I can get back to them with any further information from my enquiry of the other bank. That doesn't happen very often does it? They actually fool no-one with their unusual goodwill in simply giving full information and their name and telephone number when things are so wrong.

I was offered completely voluntarily a Data Protection data subject access request report free of charge. They felt that bad about it. I did not ask for it. I haven't received it yet but I expect it. I contacted the other bank (whose current account details had been used on the fraudulent credit card application in my name) and they refused to warn their bank account customer that his account details were compromised. Their customer relations department argued that no fraud had been committed with regard to their account. They refused to confirm or deny whether their account had been subject to a change of address to mine. They were of course annoyed or wobbled that I even had the sort code and account number. Banks have cosy agreements not to divulge such information as it causes difficult liaison problems between them when it is realised that one banks vulnerable security has been used to attack another. Last time it was a mastercard prepaid car issuers vulnerable security that permitted the issue of the card which secured my full credit report for £12 from a CRA.

I wonder if that othe compromised customer follows MSE? Has anyone been contacted by their bank lately to be told their bank account has been detailed on someone elses fraudulent credit card application? That'd be interesting wouldn't it?

Had I made a note of the account name when I was told it then I could have published it. I am so sorry but I didn't. At that point I thought their bank would do the necessary.

Meer53, you clearly do not care about such things so I doubt I could ever embarrass you into providing information outside of your normal bank procedures if I spoke to you on the phone. I would therefore go around you.

However, please answer me this: What it is the public interest purpose please of your constant denials on MSE?

[Deleted User]

VictimOfImpersonation wrote: »

Yes newbieboy, I am proud of my half century plus. What have you done so far except boast about earning a high salary for a 25 year old and played manager of some unfortunate oldies ? Been there, done that, thirty years ago! Have you built a good team? Er no, of course not, because you used the word "tell" people of (my sort of) life experience how to do their job. We can read you like a book newbieboy! Trust me - we old farts can read it all between your lines. Unless you have some amazing special experience that you are good at not disclosing like you have overcome some major disability or bereavement (and you don't sound like that because you haven't learned humility and big yourself up too much), then you haven't yet lived, but I am sure you will We forgive your youthful exhuberance. You on the other hand will just have to tolerate your elders and betters or you will soon have a fight on your hands at work and elsewhere - we are becoming the majority electorship and thank goodness it is so.

Now then, CallCredit know they can contact me again any time they like, but they won't because they know what I have said was unfortunately true. They didn't really want to talk about it much when I found out, and fobbed me off with a free year of access to my file :rotfl:

Do you really think that you can Google all the ills of this world? That is not how it works. First you have to have standards. Then you go looking for matches and breaches. You often won't find breaches like this in the headlines until you put them there.

Hypocrite, your using my age as a limiting factor and then conversely using your age for your apparent superiority.

Your comment "We can read you like a book newbieboy" is also comical considering people are clearly supporting my statements and dismissing (the majority) of yours.

I also have no reason to tell you what I have and haven't done, because ultimately it is irrelevant to this post. The only reasoning of highlighting some of what i have achieved was in a bid to highlight that you have no idea who you are talking to or what I/they have done. and as an FYI, yes i have led a team, i have also managed a considerable number of youngsters into very good careers in my relatively short career. The fact of the matter is I am proud of what i have achieved at my young age and although would never brag about it I equally have no reason to hide it.

As you are being so pedantic with word choices, then yes, "tell" some older people what to do. This is because like you, some older people are arrogant enough to think that they know it all, and that a youngster couldn't possibly be better than them with limited experience. And after a significant amount of attempting to teach and inform them of better ways to do it some people will still ignore you, both young and old.

Your entire post states we; we forgive you, we see through, we this, we that, yet YOU are the only one with these opinions. Even in earlier posts you stated that "we could see through my words". You could, no-one else.

[Deleted User]

VictimOfImpersonation wrote: »

I did not dismiss Newbieboy's views because of his age but rather because he disrespected my experience and apparently also that of some of his "long experienced" team under him. He basically wanted me to know that he tells the older members of his team (those with 'this life experience' which I took to mean similar to mine) how to do their job and of course he could not resist using his age as a demonstrator of his unusual success versus his peers perhaps.

:xmassign:

Interesting.. Who said they were under me? No relative grade was mentioned.

Also it was not disrespect. It was highlighting that the age of a person is not a direct reflection on there ability. Equally life experience does not automatically mean superiority. Bill gates was 19 when he created Microsoft, Mark Zuckerberg 20 when he created Facebook. Age does NOT equal superiority - THIS was what i was highlighting to you - as you are dismissing me due to my supposed life experience.