Preventing ongoing/current fraud

Louiseey

Hi all,

I currently have an issue with fraud and I have no idea of how to fix this. I've discovered I've had multiple accounts opened in my name including store accounts, credit card applications and one successful credit card account being opened.

I have filed a fraud report online but as no money has actually been taken from me or taken from my current account, there's little they can do. The form was confusing enough but eventually it led me to just filing a report and that's it; no one is going to look into it for me.

I have managed to close the above accounts but now my credit report for August has shown yet another account being opened. Although I've had no issue closing the accounts (even though one had wracked up hundreds of pounds of debt from someone!), I have no idea how to prevent it further. They obviously have my details somehow but I don't know what to do to stop them keep opening more accounts.

I also have no idea how to get this removed from my credit score. A few of the companies I spoke to mentioned they'd try to do this on my behalf but nothing has changed as of yet.

I'm really out of my depth here and have no idea how to deal with this; I thought contacting the police or filing a fraud report would put me in touch with someone who could advise me further but I've had no luck.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[Deleted User]

Continue to pursue the CRAs to remove the existing accounts.

Consider putting a notice on your file to ensure future applications are manually checked.

cjv

If you have not done it already, you could consider this from CIFAS:

https://www.cifas.org.uk/services/identity-protection/protective-registration

National_Debtline

Hi Louiseey

I’m sorry to hear what has happened, there are certainly some important steps you now need to take. You mention you have filed a fraud report online, was that with Action Fraud? They are the UK’s fraud reporting service and they will usually provide you with a crime reference number, you can find them here https://www.actionfraud.police.uk.

You also mention that you’ve had no problems closing the accounts, even though hundreds of pounds of debt have been run up. Have the creditors accepted it was a case of fraud and agreed not to pursue you? It’s best to contact all the creditors and provide them with the crime reference number and dispute your liability on the basis the debts were taken out fraudulently.

You should also contact one of the 3 credit reference agencies and tell them you have been a victim of fraud. They will send you a free copy of your credit report and work to restore your credit file to how it looked before the fraud took place. They will also liaise with the other 2 credit reference agencies for you. Finally as cjv mentions, you can register with CIFAS, the UK’s fraud prevention service. For a fee of £20 for 2 years they will add a flag to your credit file which makes it harder for anyone to try and take out credit using your details.

Susie
@natdebtline