Identity Theft

TommyTucker_2

Hi guys & gals

I was recently the victim of identity fraud, where an important document that I posted was intercepted by somebody.

This somebody fraudulently opened a bank account in my name, using my address, and went on to open a couple of mobile phone accounts.

I'm in the process of sorting this matter out. One of the companies, Vodafone, has been first-class in its speedy resolution. In their letter to me, they stated that they have ensured that the fraudulent activity has been removed from my credit file - which is great.

I have also logged a report with ActionFraud, and contacted my bank, as the fraudster who set up the bank account in my name, used the same bank as I do for my own personal account. However, when I phoned my bank, they didn't particularly seem to want to know.

I was wondering a few things:-

- When the other mobile company's fraud team have concluded their investigation, can I expect them to do the same as Vodafone - remove the activity from my credit file?

- Can I expect Vodafone's fraud team to liaise with the bank and let them know what's happened?

- I will be keeping a close eye on my credit file - is ClearScore as reliable as, say, Experian for this purpose?

- Is there anything else I should be doing?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

pete-20-11

Get a CIFAS marker to make it difficult for any more accounts to be fraudulently opened - https://www.cifas.org.uk/pr_for_individuals

You must check all three credit agencies - as not all details appear on all of them. Use noddle, as well as clearscore, which is also free, so all you have to pay is £2 for Experian.

It might be a good idea to report any errors to each of the credit reference agencies, who in turn check with each lender to see if they agree that it can be removed. It may be possible to add a notice to the credit files too.