Help with 1st credit

ada-or-ardor

It sounds like you've had some great advice and I hope you're feeling a bit calmer. Remind yourself, you have done nothing wrong and therefore aren't guilty. So if you follow all the right steps, eventually the right thing should happen and you wont be liable.

To put your mind at ease about any other debts, might it be worth checking your credit file with the various providers (like experience and noddle)? Hopefully it was just the one that your ex took out in your name, but at least this way you can check and be proactive in any others. Gives you some of the control and the power rather than worrying every time an envelope lands on the floor! They should be free, at least for 30 days, and its worth checking all options as sometimes they show different things (not all creditors submit all information to all three so it's not a standardised service).

Good luck and sleep well! :-)

Ada

Blue25

Hi there, it's me again

As someone suggested, I have just asked for a free credit report.
It appears that I have 3 defaults from 3 different debt collectors (2 of them being Lowell and 1st Credit). They relate to 3 mail orders, accounts opened in 3 different dates. Obviously not my mail orders.
Sorry for the stupid question, does it mean I have 3 different debts on my credit history?
It never ever came to my mind to look into that.

sourcrates

Blue25 wrote: »

Hi there, it's me again

As someone suggested, I have just asked for a free credit report.
It appears that I have 3 defaults from 3 different debt collectors (2 of them being Lowell and 1st Credit). They relate to 3 mail orders, accounts opened in 3 different dates. Obviously not my mail orders.
Sorry for the stupid question, does it mean I have 3 different debts on my credit history?
It never ever came to my mind to look into that.

Yes, looks like your ex has been busy.

If/when you are contacted about them, same advice and procedure apply, as with 1st credit.

Blue25

sourcrates wrote: »

Yes, looks like your ex has been busy.

If/when you are contacted about them, same advice and procedure apply, as with 1st credit.

I have some evidence for the debt owned by Lowell.
The other two debts, I was never aware of.

Blue25

I have done my report and got a reference number. Thanks to everyone!

Blue25

Hi there, thanks to the ones who helped me at the first round. Now I am back for the second

Not really sure this is the right place to post my question, sorry if this is out of contest.
Long story short, 6 months after my original post, I have entertained a fruitless correspondence with the debt collectors, the original seller (that is the on line catalogue where my ex partner opened multiple accounts in my name) and a fraud expert from Experian.
Nothing has been sorted, my credit rating is still crying. As of yesterday, someone from the fraud department of the original seller told me I need to go to the police and get a crime reference number. I said that I have already reported my ex to Action Fraud (I even sent the original seller a letter stating the reference number), but they said that it doesn't count and I need to go to the police. I thought that the purpose of Action Fraud was in fact to report fraud cases to the police, but now I am told it doesn't count?
Can anyone shed some light? I am not as scared as I was 6 months ago :eek:, but it seems like I am asked to do the same things over and over again, writing, calling, reporting, and so on.
Before I spend some fun time at a police station, I would like to know if there is some point in that, or if perhaps it's better I write to the financial ombudsman.
Thanks to everyone!

sourcrates

You can ring the financial ombudsman advice line, or National Debtline, they will know the correct procedure to follow.

Blue25

Hi guys, I am finally writing happy news one year later: as of this morning, my credit rating is finally clean and set on "good" :j Also, I did not have to pay one single penny in order to re-establish my reputation.

If you have read my story, you will know that my ex partner had fraudulently opened several catalogue accounts in my name whilst we were living together, accumulating a debt of £1250. When we split up and I learnt the ugly truth (one year ago), the debt collectors could not care less of my side of the story. It did not matter that I was oblivious of the mischief all the time, that my ex was at home more than I was, so that he could easily arrange deliveries and receive goods I had no clue about.

Over the course of one year, I have received plenty of advice by all the organisations tackling identity theft, but it seemed like the only way of getting out of this was paying with my own money. The original lender and the 3 debt collection companies would not be persuaded otherwise. "We are sorry that this happened to you, but there is your name on it, plus you used to live at that address, which means you're accountable." It seemed like a Kafkian story.

Then, it dawned on me that my ex had most likely provided his mobile number along with other personal details when setting up the accounts and making the orders; as it turned out, he had even given his own bank account details. The solution was indeed a no brainer: when I asked for a SAR, all those annoying people who had been breathing on my neck for months, just stepped back.

It did not happen overnight, it still took a few weeks before the lenders got back to me with another of their silly letters stating that: since the accounts in my name were fraudulent, my request for a SAR could not be accepted (seriously, these people are as delinquent as the debtors they are chasing.) Basically, when I asked them to put on paper all the information they held about me, they suddenly realised I had been right all along

Besides congratulating myself for my perseverance :beer: I would like to pass on the "Ask for a SAR" piece of advice to all naive people as myself, who had the misfortune to live with a partner/friend/family member with a shopping or gambling addiction along with a lack of empathy and emotions whatsoever.
Secondly, if you have a similar story please do get in touch. I am determined to research about the so called "Familiar identity theft" and write a piece about it. I don't need names, I need stories.Please, if you want to contribute/give me a hand/ a tip, do not hesitate to PM me.
Last but not least, I want to thank all the people who advised me on this forum about the first steps to take, if it wasn't for them and their reassuring words I would never have made it :T Have a very nice day :dance:

sourcrates

Well done, glad you got the right result in the end !!!!