Can't verify my identity

bearberry

I've been refused pre-paid travel cards because the companies say they can't verify my identity. One of them mentioned checking with credit reference agencies, so I've looked at my credit reports.

According to Experian, Equifax, and CheckMyFile everything looks fine so far as I can see. Name and D.O.B correct, on electoral register, no credit accounts (I closed everything down after a personal financial crisis 7+ years ago and have avoided debt ever since.) I did have to scan in my passport and council tax bill to get access to my Equifax file, but when I checked it I saw that one of the companies who'd turned me down (Ukash) had searched it before they refused my application - even though the details are correct and do match what I told them!

I've had the same bank account for 20+ years and they have the right address. I don't have any credit accounts and most of the utilities are in my huband's name but I'm on the electoral roll, registered for council tax, have passed a DBS check for work, have a passport. I understand that not having credit would make it harder to get credit but I don't want any - is this suspicious from a money-laundering point of view? There were no fraud alerts on any of my credit reports either.

Any advice on what to do about this? I've emailed the companies involved and Equifax, but so far haven't got much more than "computer says no" from anyone and I'm at my wits' end!

usefulmale

Why are they doing a credit check on something that you are pre-paying?

bearberry

It's not a credit check, they're using the credit referencing agency to verify my identity. It's something to do with money laundering regulations, I think.

usefulmale

bearberry wrote: »

It's not a credit check, they're using the credit referencing agency to verify my identity. It's something to do with money laundering regulations, I think.

Can you get someone else to get the card for you? Identity checks are useless for this type of thing. How do they know who ends up with the card and where the funds to load the card are coming from?

Tixy

Seems odd that you would fail an identity check with the credit reference agencies if you are on the electoral roll (and there are no changes in name/address that don't show on the file etc).

But using a credit reference agency is only one way they can check a persons identity for money laundering regulations.
I would go back to the card issuer and ask them what other evidence you can provide to prove your identity (usually its a copy of address ID and photo ID similar to what you provided to Equifax).
If any of the places you applied for a card have a high street bank then they may be easier to approach, as obviously you can go in branch with your identity documents.