Someone has my credit rating account (Clear Score / Equifax)

DiscoElysium

GDPR/DPA

Someone came to my door today who shares the same name and almost DOB except a few years off and also the same first name. They actually used to live at the address I’m at before me.

They knocked on my door to ask if I had any credit cards arrive and after some questions we realised the above information. He showed me his clear score and found that he was actually seeing my information!! If he never told me I’d never have found out.

Surely this is covered under data protection, can I seek compensation for this? Need advice on how to proceed

DiscoElysium

I think because they had my credit score information showing, they seen my loans and my credit cards and they thought at first that someone had being doing something fraudulent to them. It wasn’t until I seen his clear score app and noticed hold on those are my accounts/loans etc! Furthermore I don’t think he would come to my door and openly admit such if he was the culprit it just seems illogical but I do get your concern. What he has done is go to the address linked to these accounts. It’s just his first name that is the same, his surname is different. I therefore believe this to be a breach as opposed to malicious intent

marcia_

DiscoElysium said:

GDPR/DPA

Someone came to my door today who shares the same name and almost DOB except a few years off and also the same first name. They actually used to live at the address I’m at before me.

They knocked on my door to ask if I had any credit cards arrive and after some questions we realised the above information. He showed me his clear score and found that he was actually seeing my information!! If he never told me I’d never have found out.

Surely this is covered under data protection, can I seek compensation for this? Need advice on how to proceed

 Compensation for what? What are your losses? 

Devongardener

Something sounds wrong here, he came to ask if you had any cards delivered to you but meant for him?   

Are you sure the credit report he showed you was genuine, it would be very easy to make a fake one.

There seems to be far too many coincidences with names, date of birth and him saying he lived at your address before you.
Have you downloaded your own credit report?

HampshireH

Seems very odd. We're you aware of this person having lived there before I.e. received post for them before or were they the seller you bought from?

Sounds suspicious to me. But what they could do with the information would be limited to what information you proceeded to give them.... I.e. your actual DOB etc

LinLui

He has the same first name as you, an entirely different surname and a different birthdate (if the year is different, then it's a different birthdate, not "nearly the same") and he may or may not have lived at the same address that you now live at once upon a time. But he's looking for a credit card that a bank that was sent to your address (when he presumably told them his address when he applied), based solely on you sharing a first name? Does not sound at all likely.

Nasqueron

Register a complaint with the CRA and let them investigate

Compensation is for losses - what losses have you incurred? 

You may well get a payment for the breach, if true, but nothing substantial if there was no measurable harm done

DiscoElysium

Likely or not that’s what happened and I never met the man in my life. If he had malicious intent, why would he be coming to my door? It was not faked as he was on the clear score app and showed my entire financial history. Any credit cards, loans, water bills, previous addresses, that’s a serious breach. Reading up on it I believe the error to be with how they profile and associate financial data. If he intended to use my identity for malicious purposes it makes no sense why he would show up at my door with his wife and allow me to identify them both, give me his number which can be tracked to his address surely??? My question is more how to proceed and who should be the first contract given such a serious leak of my financial history

adamp87

You’ve not had any financial loss here that you’ve mentioned. This is either the person you’ve spoken to potentially being fraudulent, knocking on your door after applying for credit in your name wanting the card - which you find unlikely so the alternative it’s a mistake on part of the way the CRA has attributed data - and seemingly a glaring one but stuff happens.

Personally to be sure I’d do a trial or sign up for a month at something like check my file which will load all reference ages reports on you - see if there is any data incorrect/new accounts you don’t recognise.

Do you use other free versions such as Experians own report/app or credit Karma? Is this the same with them?

Contact the CRA agencies about the issue and wait for their response. I can’t see you getting any fiscal benefit here - it’s a problem that needs fixing at the moment 

penners324

Apply for a Clearscore account then make a complaint about the mismatched data.

If Clearscore don't unmatched you then issue a complaint to the ICO

PRAISETHESUN

You need to follow up with all 3 CRAs - Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.

That said, this all sounds highly suspect. Even if you've satisfied yourself that this person is legit, and not someone trying to scam you, then you should still only deal with the CRAs directly to get this resolved.