Could this be ID theft?

ooooooh

Hi

I'm not sure where to post this query but I hope someone can offer advice.

I took a call on my landline today, sounded like a distant call centre, an Indian lady speaking.

I had difficulty understanding what she said but she said something like she was ringing about the secured/unsecured loan I'd applied for. She also went on to ask for my passport number.

I said I wasn't looking for a loan, asked where she'd got my number from and where she was calling from but then the call went dead - I rang 1471 but the number was withheld.

I do often receive Marketing Calls but thinking about this call today, I am a bit concerned.

I'm really not sure what I should do about this, should I be worried about ID theft? Any advice gratefully accepted.

CHR15

As long as you dont give them any information you should be fine.

I believe these foreign scams fall outside the remit of the TPS so there is no way of stopping them unfortunately.

They are a menace though!

John_Pierpoint

It sounds to me as though you might already be the victim of ID fraud: The woman might really be doing her job and checking the "your" application was indeed genuine.

"Icesave" (the bank from Iceland) use passport details to check that you are you! That is what is so horrible about being a victim - you can never prove that "you" are not you.

It is definitely time to check that all your bank accounts, CC's and investments are still OK. It is probably time to use Martins dodge for a free check of the 3 credit reference agencies.

[I blame the banks and merchants - how difficult is it to send someone a text, phone message or email telling them that a transaction is about to/just has hit their account.]

My personal experience since last Xmas has been "blogged" in this thread; unfortunately at the moment, the whole grizzly saga has its early adventures missing, due to problems in the back-up / archiving procedures of the forum.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=332339

mum2one

You did the right thing asking where she got the number from, and also where they were from, it definately sounds like a scam.

Would get your credit file checked, and go though bank statements, credit card statements

Also if you dispose of any documents with your address details, make sure they are shredded.

hopeless_case_2

i get loads of them calls but never been asked for my passport number.I just hang up now but gosh they are persistent.

John_Pierpoint

If you don't have a shredder handy, tear everything twice so you have 4 piles of paper. Try to tear so that your name and address is not on the same bit of paper as the account reference.
Then put each little pile into a different container before putting it out for recycling Eg put it out on different weeks or into different openings in the recycling bin.
In the days before shredders were common, this was the technique that the CIA required of its office staff, where ever they were in the world.
The chances of anyone reuniting the bits is pretty remote and perhaps more effective than the mess that the Yanks left in Vietnam and Iran (in the latter case the Iranian's stuck the shredding back together again!)

Butlers1982

It sounds to me as though you might already be the victim of ID fraud:

Absolute rubbish!

Its a scam, they ring you and try to talk you into a loan by saying they already have an application.
You cant get a secured loan without any sort of documentation coming through your front door.

CHR15

To the OP....

I notice you say you often get marketing calls. Do you know about the TPS I mentioned in my first reply??

If not, it is worth registering your number with them. It is designed to stop the marketing calls

http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/tps/

COOKIEWILLOW

International calls come through regardless of you being registered with TPS. I am having NINE CALLS PLUS a day from a certain number, googled it and got a website thats called "whocallsme", you just type the number in and you can see other peoples comments on that number, the one i have is DEF a scammer, and I was reassured then that I was not the only one and now when I see the number on my phone I just ignore it. One of the people that answered was asked the old acc number, sort code business, the chap was Indian, claimed to be from Halifax, although the "victim" did not bank with Halifax the caller asked for them by name?? dodgy.

CHR15

COOKIEWILLOW wrote: »

International calls come through regardless of you being registered with TPS..

Thats correct, as in reply #2, but it does help with marketing calls originating from within the UK and is definitely worth registering your number with them.

Zebedee69

Hia!

I would check my cedit files just to be 100% sure. I they are okay put it down to a scam.