Cifas question

Ed-1

Arleen wrote: »

Confirming such details do not constitute a breach at all unless there is some part of data protection act that I've missed; happy to be corrected if you can point specific case/article or interpretation.

Though people nowadays faff so much about their data protection while posting so many details on the open net that this pretends sensitivity makes me chuckle. That is why people here are advised to use obscure pseudonyms because they leave so much stuff behind them on the open web. But lo-behold, someone may call my employer and ask do I work there and make what I claimed, and they holler DPA.

It is also worth adding that if someone refused to speak with them to verify employment, then there would be no grounds for a fraud marker. Fraud is when you intentionally misleads, and when they simply can't confirm they cannot be sure that they were misled. So either the phone person denied it (not was unsure), or there was something in ops application that was evidence enough. Like an employer who is known for giving bogus job references. I doubt we will ever find out as op was here recently, but didn't feel like contributing.

Actually being unable to verify employment details is often the reason given by banks for logging a marker against applications with either National Hunter or National SIRA where they can pretty much do what they want to highlight concerns with applications. It's just CIFAS that it wouldn't be sufficient evidence for.

Arleen

Ed-1 wrote: »

Actually being unable to verify employment details is often the reason given by banks for logging a marker against applications with either National Hunter or National SIRA where they can pretty much do what they want to highlight concerns with applications. It's just CIFAS that it wouldn't be sufficient evidence for.

I will yield to your expeirence in that matter, back in my home country we had cifas equivalent, but not National Hunter etc so unsure how exactly they work. And in that case it's probably some markers in those "internal" files is what cause OP to be flagged in the first place.

cheekykid

Well, I wouldn't know what has happened at this point as capital one won't tell me and i have to take it up with Cifas to find out.

MEM62

Candyapple wrote: »

All they would have required when they called was to confirm that you worked there, your job title and for how long. Not sure why your manager found that so difficult to answer?

Because it would not be appropriate for such information to be provided to a cold caller. I wouldn't entertain it. However, I will respond to a legitimate formal request where I am certain of who is making inquiries about my staff and why.

Candyapple

MEM62 wrote: »

Because it would not be appropriate for such information to be provided to a cold caller. I wouldn't entertain it. However, I will respond to a legitimate formal request where I am certain of who is making inquiries about my staff and why.

All it would have taken is a quick 'sorry who am I speaking to?' from the manager and then the Cap One employee would have said, then the manager would put them on hold, speak to OP (employee) and ask if they were expecting a call about it, OP would say yes and the info could have been given. It's really not that hard.

The ball now is in OP's court, he either sends the info to Cap One and asks them to remove the marker, or lives with no credit and highly likely outcome of any/all other bank accounts and cards being closed also in due course down to the marker.

MEM62

Candyapple wrote: »

All it would have taken is a quick 'sorry who am I speaking to?' from the manager and then the Cap One employee would have said, then the manager would put them on hold, speak to OP (employee) and ask if they were expecting a call about it, OP would say yes and the info could have been given. It's really not that hard.

That is not the way for companies to deal with it. Perhaps the employee is not available to check with. Even if they are available are you really going to keep the call on hold why you confirm with the employee that they are happy for the information to be provided, the context in which the inquiry is being made and the limits on what information the employee has agreed can be given? Of course not! Companies have an obligation to their employees to treat their data appropriately and a casual phone call is not the way to do it.

cheekykid

Candyapple wrote: »

All it would have taken is a quick 'sorry who am I speaking to?' from the manager and then the Cap One employee would have said, then the manager would put them on hold, speak to OP (employee) and ask if they were expecting a call about it, OP would say yes and the info could have been given. It's really not that hard.

Cap asked me if was working that day when the call took place. I told them no. Cap representative still went ahead to call my employee. I wouldn't have been there to verify the situation with my manager.

Candyapple wrote: »

The ball now is in OP's court, he either sends the info to Cap One and asks them to remove the marker, or lives with no credit and highly likely outcome of any/all other bank accounts and cards being closed also in due course down to the marker.

Have my old accounts closed due to a Cifas? This would make no sense. Cap would open themselves to litigation if they closed down everything on my name just because they couldn't verify my information.

Arleen

cheekykid wrote: »

Cap asked me if was working that day when the call took place. I told them no. Cap representative still went ahead to call my employee. I wouldn't have been there to verify the situation with my manager.

What is tehre to verify anything? You either work there and boss says "ayup" or "I cannot discuss that over the phone", or you don't work there (or for less money/different title/whatever) and the boss have said that. If it even came to a phonecall.

cheekykid wrote: »

Have my old accounts closed due to a Cifas? This would make no sense. Cap would open themselves to litigation if they closed down everything on my name just because they couldn't verify my information.

No they wouldn't and getting accounts closed once they find the cifas marker is a possibility, as most companies do not deal with people with a fraud marker. So get a letter from your employeer quickly and hand it over to Cap asap. This letter must confirm your name, address, position in the company, how long you've been there and what are your wages. It must be on corporate paper, include details of whoever signed it etc.

Candyapple

cheekykid wrote: »

Have my old accounts closed due to a Cifas? This would make no sense. Cap would open themselves to litigation if they closed down everything on my name just because they couldn't verify my information.

Read the link I posted in #4 and think again. If you have a CIFAS marker against you, lots of companies use monthly CRA feeds and once that marker shows up, they are within their rights to close your bank account / credit card account you may have with them.

There are further links from that post that give examples of 2 people who have had CIFAS markers and found out that their other accounts were being closed also due to said marker. It's a very serious thing.