New hard search by Hastings on my credit report

MovingForwards

If you use insurance comparison sites it automatically searches for new insurance quotes each year. Have a look at your soft search section and you will see all the others.

Not sure why Hastings have done hard searches as they only ever show in the soft search section on my reports.

Peter999_2

Same has happened to me.   I have insurance for renewal but have accepted the renewal quote (Aviva directly, nothing with Hastings) and not done any comparison or anything.

Sofiee

So I woke up to an email from Clearscore, just like you guys - rang Hastings, they didn't know what to do really, so gave me the number of the action fraud line UK. (Angry, because my score has just gone up too!)
The lady was lovely, but couldn't help me over the phone, just guided me through the website - please visit the website I had to visit, and make a police report (very straight forward). If enough of us do this, we can probably stop this issue for us and others.

Website to report it to:  www.actionfraud.police.uk

You'll have to sign up, so they can give you a case number thing, but it just saves you waiting around for the combined hour and 15 minutes I had to, to be given the same info from Hastings and the fraud line.

Hope this helps people - I'm very cross!

worldlad909

This has also happened to me. Confused.Com has basically given all my information to Hastings and they have done a hard search on me which has now deducted 100 points from my credit rating. I know this because the same day I got a hard search notice from ClearScore, but also a quotation email from confused.com. I have had no association with Hastings, so I’ve done a fraud case with ClearScore and will be emailing the CEO at Confused.Com to advise them that Hastings is doing this and will be enclosing this forum link. I’m not happy about the situation at all. 

My last car insurance quote was over 12 months  ago with confused.com 

From the reviews Hastings has a terrible dodgy reputation. I feel there is also some kind of data breach here which is a serious offence. I will be looking at claiming compensation from Confused.com for passing info to a dodgy company which has now destroyed my credit rating and will take months to solve.

jamestbeale

The same has happened to be. A hard search from Hastings Insurance Services on 2nd Sep. I don’t have any products or services with them so they have definitely not had my permission for this search.l, I’m sure this is not legal. I have emailed Equifax and Hastings so will let you know when I hear back.

dunstonh

Have any of you actually checked to see if it is a hard search and not the usual soft search?

it is possible what you are being told and what actually happened are two different things.

I feel there is also some kind of data breach here which is a serious offence

Its not. The T&C of comparison sites allows data to be passed and you agree to it when you use them.

Luke226

jamestbeale said:

The same has happened to be. A hard search from Hastings Insurance Services on 2nd Sep. I don’t have any products or services with them so they have definitely not had my permission for this search.l, I’m sure this is not legal. I have emailed Equifax and Hastings so will let you know when I hear back.

This all sounds very odd, but you should all contact ClearScore and ask them to confirm the full details of the search including any reference used by Hastings when checking your record. Unfortunately it is not surprising that Hastings did not know anything about this when you contacted them. The department responsible for the search most likely left no note against your file for customer services to check.

Contact Hastings complaints department and advised them that a search has been registered on your credit file and you want to know what this was for, why it was done and to have it removed from your records. In your email you should state clearly that this is a subject access request and as such they have 30 days to respond to you.

Once complaints are involved it should be passed to someone who knows what has happened. and given how many people have commented it sounds like Hastings will have a good idea of what has happened and hopefully it will be resolved quickly.

Luke

TrickyDicky101

dunstonh said:

Have any of you actually checked to see if it is a hard search and not the usual soft search?

it is possible what you are being told and what actually happened are two different things.

On the ClearScore website it does state there is an "Upcoming Report Change - Hard search by Hastings Insurance Services Ltd added".
Fortunately, it doesn't particularly bother me but it does seem a little odd.

davidmcn

Sofiee said:

So I woke up to an email from Clearscore, just like you guys - rang Hastings, they didn't know what to do really, so gave me the number of the action fraud line UK. (Angry, because my score has just gone up too!)
The lady was lovely, but couldn't help me over the phone, just guided me through the website - please visit the website I had to visit, and make a police report (very straight forward).
Website to report it to:  www.actionfraud.police.uk

A police report? What's the crime?

Sandtree

Sofiee said:

Angry, because my score has just gone up too!

worldlad909 said:

which has now deducted 100 points from my credit rating. 

You are both aware that your "credit score" is pretty much a totally made up number that virtually no one in the world gets to see (somewhat ironically, insurers can be an exception) and certainly not any lender. Banks etc look at your credit history not "score" and apply their own ranking system. Credit reference agencies coming up with a score that they then sell to people (either for cash or data) has been one of the greatest marketing ideas for decades.

Hard searches done by insurers are normally limited to companies that use third parties for providing credit to those that wish to pay monthly. Those that offer credit themselves or who use credit score as a rating factor normally just use a soft search.

Looking at my own credit history Hastings did a soft search in mid june which is around the date of my old renewal for Motor insurance. I suspect this is what these are but why they have moved from soft to hard searches is something that only Hastings can explain. Its likely a complaint will be required to get it to someone who has the time to look into it properly.