Credit file - Old address fraud??

solentsusie

Hi

Just got my Equifax report and it states that I was registered on the electoral roll at a previous address in 2009 when I had moved out in 2006.

I have a feeling there may be some fraud involved here - really wish I had checked my credit report before!

Someone else using my name (but a different date of birth) opened a credit account (looks like it might be a catalogue of some description) about 10 months after I had moved out of that address. This is currently showing as a defaulted account on my credit file and must have been for the last 5 years 10 months...

Luckily this default is due to drop off at the end of October so I don't really think it is worth bothering with as I do not intend to attempt to apply for any credit in the meantime - Kept being declined and now I know one of the reasons why!

Just goes to show that you should check your files regularly I suppose. Lesson learned here...

But, it is showing me up as having an alias: "These are other names that you may have been previously known as e.g. Maiden names"

The alias is my name only with an inaccurate date of birth, 7 years younger than my actual date of birth, and not the right day or month. Now how do I go about getting this corrected as this is nothing to do with me. I don't want to open a can of worms that is going to take me ages to sort out but this information is not correct.

Any thoughts appreciated.

forgotmyname

Another thread? Contact them.....

solentsusie

forgotmyname wrote: »

Another thread? Contact them.....

Apologies for attempting to gain help/advice in sorting out the issues I have discovered on my credit file, if I have posted more than one thread it is because I want advice on separate issues and I have seen too many posts that contain multiple queries that only seem to confuse people in their responses to them. If you have no helpful input please refrain from posting on my thread as I would do on others.... Thank you.

If you wish to give advice please advise who I should contact? The company who has registered the account against "my" name (where it looks like this information has come from and this looks like it has been passed to a debt collection agency as there is no original account on my file so this will be a problem) or the credit reference agency?

Nasqueron

solentsusie - the problem with these posts is that people can only offer *so much* info before it comes down to you having to do some ringing/writing.

There are plenty of examples on this forum of dodgy companies buying up old debt and then breaking the rules by changing default dates which might extend the problems you are having . It's up to you if you just want to let the default drop off but if you have solid proof you were living elsewhere (electoral register, bills etc) then you could get the default removed and probably get a bit of compo if you push enough given your issues getting credit elsewhere due to this incorrect recording.

The CRA will (as far as I understand it) just ask the company if the account is right, they will say yes, then CRA will close the case - waste of time. The dispute should be with the company that registered the default

tinkerbell28

You need to contact both. It's really not hard. That alias will be on your file and cause you problems long before any default goes.

Phone the company the finance is with and sort it out. Then tell the CRA's you are disputing the information.

solentsusie

Thanks for the helpful advice.


Looking at the default that is registered it has been created by Lowells debt collection. The company that has listed the alias is Shop Direct - never heard of them and I definitely have never had an account with any catalogue company. The account was created in April 2008, defaulted in October 2008 and I had moved from the address associated with this account/default in 2006.


I will look for the details for Shop Direct Finance Company, they aren't listed in my report, and start there.


Help much appreciated.