Someone applied for an account in my name

dannygn123

Nasqueron said:

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

I applied for a balance transfer yesterday, forgetting about the letter I got. Just checked my search history through mse credit club and there are two searches dated 6/11/2023. One mbna and one American express. Is this going to affect my chances of getting approved? It it with virgin money. They do a soft search first which gave me a 90% pre approval rate so would that have taken it in to account?

Were they hard searches? When you raised your initial question related to the letter - I asked some further questions, but you didn't come back to update the thread. We have lots of people that can offer helpful advice pointing you in the right direction - but you're only providing half a story, then wandering off, then coming back with half a statement about something more recent happening. 

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of the original issue - so it may very well be that as this hasn't been addressed, any new applications by you could very well be affected yes.

If the two searches you mention were hard searches - then along with the MBNA letter it seems like someone made those applications. Have you taken any preventative measures since the letter?

I don't know if they were hard searches to be honest. It's just under searches on the credit report. I only have the information on what was provided on the letter that they have cancelled the account, sent a request to correct my credit file and registered me as a victim of identity theft with cifas. I'm not sure of what other preventative measures to take. Apologies for the delays.

I just checked clearscore and it says there are no hard searches

Do note that not all cards report to all CRAs, check Credit Karma as well to see if they are hard or soft searches and chase the firms why they have not been removed.

I have just looked on credit karma and they are coming up as hard searches. I knew about the mbna one from the letter but I don't know anything about American express. I've raised a dispute with credit karma(TransUnion). Should I raise it with any of the other CRA's too? Why would one company say soft search and one say hard. Should I contact American express

cymruchris

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

I applied for a balance transfer yesterday, forgetting about the letter I got. Just checked my search history through mse credit club and there are two searches dated 6/11/2023. One mbna and one American express. Is this going to affect my chances of getting approved? It it with virgin money. They do a soft search first which gave me a 90% pre approval rate so would that have taken it in to account?

Were they hard searches? When you raised your initial question related to the letter - I asked some further questions, but you didn't come back to update the thread. We have lots of people that can offer helpful advice pointing you in the right direction - but you're only providing half a story, then wandering off, then coming back with half a statement about something more recent happening. 

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of the original issue - so it may very well be that as this hasn't been addressed, any new applications by you could very well be affected yes.

If the two searches you mention were hard searches - then along with the MBNA letter it seems like someone made those applications. Have you taken any preventative measures since the letter?

I don't know if they were hard searches to be honest. It's just under searches on the credit report. I only have the information on what was provided on the letter that they have cancelled the account, sent a request to correct my credit file and registered me as a victim of identity theft with cifas. I'm not sure of what other preventative measures to take. Apologies for the delays.

I just checked clearscore and it says there are no hard searches

Ok - you need to check all three major agencies - you've done Clearscore which is great, and you say there are no hard searches, so that's positive. You now need to do the same with Credit Karma or Totally Money (they both use the same data pool and are free).

In the MSE credit club app - the searches are separated into two sections - searches that may impact your credit score (the hard searches) and searches that do not impact your credit score (the soft searches) - which section do your searches come under? (See photo below)

If on Credit Karma/Totally Money, Clearscore AND MSE credit club there are no hard searches (other than your own) - then it sounds like you'll be ok going forwards.

You then need to keep a close eye on all three reports monthly to make sure there are no further hard searches. If there are, then it might be worthwhile registering for CIFAS protection. https://www.cifas.org.uk/pr - this will ensure any future credit applications made by you are given further checks to ensure it is actually you applying. It can make getting credit a little more challenging, as you might have to prove that you are you - but in doing so it stops the fraudsters from gaining any credit in your name.

 

dannygn123

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

I applied for a balance transfer yesterday, forgetting about the letter I got. Just checked my search history through mse credit club and there are two searches dated 6/11/2023. One mbna and one American express. Is this going to affect my chances of getting approved? It it with virgin money. They do a soft search first which gave me a 90% pre approval rate so would that have taken it in to account?

Were they hard searches? When you raised your initial question related to the letter - I asked some further questions, but you didn't come back to update the thread. We have lots of people that can offer helpful advice pointing you in the right direction - but you're only providing half a story, then wandering off, then coming back with half a statement about something more recent happening. 

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of the original issue - so it may very well be that as this hasn't been addressed, any new applications by you could very well be affected yes.

If the two searches you mention were hard searches - then along with the MBNA letter it seems like someone made those applications. Have you taken any preventative measures since the letter?

I don't know if they were hard searches to be honest. It's just under searches on the credit report. I only have the information on what was provided on the letter that they have cancelled the account, sent a request to correct my credit file and registered me as a victim of identity theft with cifas. I'm not sure of what other preventative measures to take. Apologies for the delays.

I just checked clearscore and it says there are no hard searches

Ok - you need to check all three major agencies - you've done Clearscore which is great, and you say there are no hard searches, so that's positive. You now need to do the same with Credit Karma or Totally Money (they both use the same data pool and are free).

In the MSE credit club app - the searches are separated into two sections - searches that may impact your credit score (the hard searches) and searches that do not impact your credit score (the soft searches) - which section do your searches come under? (See photo below)

If on Credit Karma/Totally Money, Clearscore AND MSE credit club there are no hard searches (other than your own) - then it sounds like you'll be ok going forwards.

You then need to keep a close eye on all three reports monthly to make sure there are no further hard searches. If there are, then it might be worthwhile registering for CIFAS protection. https://www.cifas.org.uk/pr - this will ensure any future credit applications made by you are given further checks to ensure it is actually you applying. It can make getting credit a little more challenging, as you might have to prove that you are you - but in doing so it stops the fraudsters from gaining any credit in your name.

 

I checked credit karma and they are both listed under hard searches. On mse credit club there are hard searches. One for mbna and one for American express both the same date. Another is first direct but that was for a current account. I have already been notified of the fraudulent mbna application but I have no idea what the American express credit application is. Its the same date so I guess its fraud as well. I raised a dispute with credit karma should I do it with mse credit club too or will that cause confusion. 

cymruchris

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

I applied for a balance transfer yesterday, forgetting about the letter I got. Just checked my search history through mse credit club and there are two searches dated 6/11/2023. One mbna and one American express. Is this going to affect my chances of getting approved? It it with virgin money. They do a soft search first which gave me a 90% pre approval rate so would that have taken it in to account?

Were they hard searches? When you raised your initial question related to the letter - I asked some further questions, but you didn't come back to update the thread. We have lots of people that can offer helpful advice pointing you in the right direction - but you're only providing half a story, then wandering off, then coming back with half a statement about something more recent happening. 

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of the original issue - so it may very well be that as this hasn't been addressed, any new applications by you could very well be affected yes.

If the two searches you mention were hard searches - then along with the MBNA letter it seems like someone made those applications. Have you taken any preventative measures since the letter?

I don't know if they were hard searches to be honest. It's just under searches on the credit report. I only have the information on what was provided on the letter that they have cancelled the account, sent a request to correct my credit file and registered me as a victim of identity theft with cifas. I'm not sure of what other preventative measures to take. Apologies for the delays.

I just checked clearscore and it says there are no hard searches

Ok - you need to check all three major agencies - you've done Clearscore which is great, and you say there are no hard searches, so that's positive. You now need to do the same with Credit Karma or Totally Money (they both use the same data pool and are free).

In the MSE credit club app - the searches are separated into two sections - searches that may impact your credit score (the hard searches) and searches that do not impact your credit score (the soft searches) - which section do your searches come under? (See photo below)

If on Credit Karma/Totally Money, Clearscore AND MSE credit club there are no hard searches (other than your own) - then it sounds like you'll be ok going forwards.

You then need to keep a close eye on all three reports monthly to make sure there are no further hard searches. If there are, then it might be worthwhile registering for CIFAS protection. https://www.cifas.org.uk/pr - this will ensure any future credit applications made by you are given further checks to ensure it is actually you applying. It can make getting credit a little more challenging, as you might have to prove that you are you - but in doing so it stops the fraudsters from gaining any credit in your name.

 

I checked credit karma and they are both listed under hard searches. On mse credit club there are hard searches. One for mbna and one for American express both the same date. Another is first direct but that was for a current account. I have already been notified of the fraudulent mbna application but I have no idea what the American express credit application is. Its the same date so I guess its fraud as well. I raised a dispute with credit karma should I do it with mse credit club too or will that cause confusion. 

As they are now confirmed as hard searches - that will be someone formally applying for credit - and as it's not you - we can say that you've had fraudulent attempts to gain credit in your name.

Credit Karma and MSE use two different pools of data - so if they are listed on both - dispute with both.

Now you have the dates available - you could also get in touch with Amex using their fraud number - I imagine it'll ask for your account number, but if you don't enter anything and stay silent, it usually connects you to an operator - and they might be able to guide you on any steps you can take to get the searches removed, and to inform them it was a fraudulent application:

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/security/reporting-fraud.html

dannygn123

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

cymruchris said:

dannygn123 said:

I applied for a balance transfer yesterday, forgetting about the letter I got. Just checked my search history through mse credit club and there are two searches dated 6/11/2023. One mbna and one American express. Is this going to affect my chances of getting approved? It it with virgin money. They do a soft search first which gave me a 90% pre approval rate so would that have taken it in to account?

Were they hard searches? When you raised your initial question related to the letter - I asked some further questions, but you didn't come back to update the thread. We have lots of people that can offer helpful advice pointing you in the right direction - but you're only providing half a story, then wandering off, then coming back with half a statement about something more recent happening. 

We still haven't gotten to the bottom of the original issue - so it may very well be that as this hasn't been addressed, any new applications by you could very well be affected yes.

If the two searches you mention were hard searches - then along with the MBNA letter it seems like someone made those applications. Have you taken any preventative measures since the letter?

I don't know if they were hard searches to be honest. It's just under searches on the credit report. I only have the information on what was provided on the letter that they have cancelled the account, sent a request to correct my credit file and registered me as a victim of identity theft with cifas. I'm not sure of what other preventative measures to take. Apologies for the delays.

I just checked clearscore and it says there are no hard searches

Ok - you need to check all three major agencies - you've done Clearscore which is great, and you say there are no hard searches, so that's positive. You now need to do the same with Credit Karma or Totally Money (they both use the same data pool and are free).

In the MSE credit club app - the searches are separated into two sections - searches that may impact your credit score (the hard searches) and searches that do not impact your credit score (the soft searches) - which section do your searches come under? (See photo below)

If on Credit Karma/Totally Money, Clearscore AND MSE credit club there are no hard searches (other than your own) - then it sounds like you'll be ok going forwards.

You then need to keep a close eye on all three reports monthly to make sure there are no further hard searches. If there are, then it might be worthwhile registering for CIFAS protection. https://www.cifas.org.uk/pr - this will ensure any future credit applications made by you are given further checks to ensure it is actually you applying. It can make getting credit a little more challenging, as you might have to prove that you are you - but in doing so it stops the fraudsters from gaining any credit in your name.

 

I checked credit karma and they are both listed under hard searches. On mse credit club there are hard searches. One for mbna and one for American express both the same date. Another is first direct but that was for a current account. I have already been notified of the fraudulent mbna application but I have no idea what the American express credit application is. Its the same date so I guess its fraud as well. I raised a dispute with credit karma should I do it with mse credit club too or will that cause confusion. 

As they are now confirmed as hard searches - that will be someone formally applying for credit - and as it's not you - we can say that you've had fraudulent attempts to gain credit in your name.

Credit Karma and MSE use two different pools of data - so if they are listed on both - dispute with both.

Now you have the dates available - you could also get in touch with Amex using their fraud number - I imagine it'll ask for your account number, but if you don't enter anything and stay silent, it usually connects you to an operator - and they might be able to guide you on any steps you can take to get the searches removed, and to inform them it was a fraudulent application:

https://www.americanexpress.com/uk/security/reporting-fraud.html

Reported it with experien and credit karma. Got an email from experian saying they will contact the banks to investigate and they have put a note on my credit file against these searches that will notify any viewing it that I have disputed and will show when it's next updated. I'm annoyed now I should have waited to apply for the balance transfer but its done now.

Regarding the question you asked a while back about where are the postboxes located. They are in the entranceway to a block of flats they are all built in to the wall. In theory you could prob access the mail through the slot but it's very narrow so you would need some sort of specific gadget. I started thinking this morning about how someone would have got all my details to apply for a credit card and even if it was successful how would they have used it as they would need the card no? And I wonder what flagged up with mbna that it wasn't me
 
Regarding cifas, mbna said they have registered me as a victim of identity theft. You sent me the link to register for cifas protection but do I need to do it myself as well?

dannygn123

Received a call this morning but i didn't answer. The number was 01416215600. Googled it and people are saying its virgin money. https://who-called.co.uk/Number/01416215600.

Maybe they are calling to check more details because of previous fraud. If they call back do you think its safe to give details. Always worries me. If I call the number back it just says we will get back in touch if we need to speak to you 

Grumpy_chap

dannygn123 said:

Received a call this morning but i didn't answer. The number was 01416215600. Googled it and people are saying its virgin money. https://who-called.co.uk/Number/01416215600.

Maybe they are calling to check more details because of previous fraud. If they call back do you think its safe to give details. Always worries me. If I call the number back it just says we will get back in touch if we need to speak to you 

Don't give any information to any caller where you have doubt about who the caller is.

If you believe Virgin Money have reason to contact you, then make contact with them from a number you have located from the back of a debit card, or statement, or other source that you know is Virgin Money.

elasto

I had a fraudulent transaction attempted with my account at Bank X.

Bank X phoned me up with the details of the fraudulent transaction asking if I did it. I said no. They said they'd block it then. The call continued...

Turned out it was the scammers themselves calling me.  In the moment I forgot that there are of course two parties that know the full details of the fraud, not just the bank...

If you get a phone call, even if the number matches up, if you think it might be genuine then hang up, make sure the line is cleared, then call the bank back yourself.

In my case the fraud was very highly targeted: They knew my name, address, phone number, email address, bank card details, and more. Even the day and time of day they called me was carefully chosen.

Luckily my spidey senses tingled at the very last moment and I ended up escaping by the skin of my teeth...

dannygn123

elasto said:

I had a fraudulent transaction attempted with my account at Bank X.

Bank X phoned me up with the details of the fraudulent transaction asking if I did it. I said no. They said they'd block it then. The call continued...

Turned out it was the scammers themselves calling me.  In the moment I forgot that there are of course two parties that know the full details of the fraud, not just the bank...

If you get a phone call, even if the number matches up, if you think it might be genuine then hang up, make sure the line is cleared, then call the bank back yourself.

In my case the fraud was very highly targeted: They knew my name, address, phone number, email address, bank card details, and more. Even the day and time of day they called me was carefully chosen.

Luckily my spidey senses tingled at the very last moment and I ended up escaping by the skin of my teeth...

Yeah I've heard of these things happening before. I will try to call virgin money main number when I get chance. Although when looking at the comments people have put about the phone number when you search it, some say that when you call them back they have no record of the call and you have to wait for them to call you again 

dannygn123

Received an email from experian saying the hard search will be removed from my credit file and to allow 7 days to update. Meanwhile I've received an email from virgin money asking to call about my application.  Should I wait until its removed to call them back? Or do I mention it on the phone. Not sure what they can do about it as they are the fraud department