identity stolen help please

zak2012

Hello,my friend identity is stolen and someone else opened 2 credit cards in his name in past few months ,the last one came by post few days ago saying he own £1700 and need to pay Vanquis credit card back,he went to CAB but they told him we cant help u.... so what option he has now?where should he go?he lives in Edinburgh is there anywhere else he can get help ? please can you name some places where they can help with thier phone and address? thanks

[Deleted User]

He needs to phone Action Fraud and dispute the debts with the providers.

Willing2Learn

Need to report it to ActionFraud.
https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
If it were me, I would also consider reporting to CIFAS. I would also check what is reported on my credit file with the three Credit Reference Agencies and if the information is wrong I would want to correct it.

T-G-C

1. Contact Action Fraud and provide the requested details. A crime reference will be generated at the end of the process.

2. Contact CIFAS and request a protective registration. There is a one-time fee for this service, but it will last for a period of 24 months.

This will prevent automated decision making and the lender must conduct further checks to ensure the application is genuine before opening an account.

3. Contact the lenders in question and provide notification that the concerned accounts were opened by a third-party using your personal information fraudulently. You can also provide them with the crime reference number from Action Fraud to validate the case.

4. If the account is showing on your credit file and there are missed payment indicators etc. ask the credit reference agency to place a Notice of Correction. This will have two useful purposes: the first is that it will allow you to explain what has happened and the reason for those indicators being present. The second is that lenders are required to view a Notice of Correction, therefore alongside the CIFAS protective registration, it will help prevent automated decision making and instant access to credit.

Action Fraud should respond within 3 months. You will be notified on whether it has been dismissed and no further action can be taken or passed to the police for investigation. Due to the amount of cases there are, some unfortunately are not taken up and are what is known as a low gravity offence.

What happens past this point is dependent on what Action Fraud have decided to do, what the lenders have independently conducted and other factors which can't be predicted at this stage.

Good luck with everything and let us know how it goes.