Providian Credit Card Possible Fraud

Purple_Sparkles

Just wondering if anyone can give me some advice, my mum has just found out that somebody took out a credit card in her name on 21 August 2002, she moved out of the property in July 2002 so was no longer living there.

She received a letter from ATM Associates Ltd, The Old Treasury, 7 King Road, Portsmouth a couple of days ago at her new address, we presume she has been traced through electoral role information which isn't an issue.

Today she has spent ages on the phone and basically the company told her that if she couldn't trace who had taken out the card then she is liable for the debt.

We can't see how she can possibly be liable for this as she didn't take out the card. We have a good idea of who may have done this but due to their mental state can't really get any information out of them.

Any help would be gratefully received.

James

Here is some advice from the CIFAS website:

Don't panic! There is help and advice available. You will not normally be liable for debts accrued by a fraudster using your identity, but it is down to you as the victim to sort out the mess caused by them.

If you believe you are a victim of identity fraud which has involved the use of plastic cards (such as credit and debit cards), online banking, or cheques, the matter should be reported by the account holder (you) directly to the financial institution concerned. They will then be responsible for undertaking further verification and investigation, and, as appropriate, reporting cases of criminal activity directly to the police where they will be recorded and subsequent investigation considered. It should be noted that this process is applicable to England, Wales and Northern Ireland onlly

Cifas website click here.

The most efficient and only really proactive method of protecting your ID in future.

Click here.

Hope this helps.

Purple_Sparkles

Thanks James,

I'll let my mum know, she's beside herself with worry but as we suspect the other person to be a family member she doesn't want to get them into trouble with the police.

Unfortunately the family member has had lots of things go wrong over the last 5 years or so and has finally had a mental breakdown which is why my mum doesn't really know what to do.

I'm going to ring the company on Monday and see if they can advise - I'll have a good read of the Cifas website before I do.

Many thanks for your help.

PROLIANT

Ok, I have been in a similar situation as yourself, the best and first course of action is to tell the police and get a crime reference number, next you must contact all three credit reference agencies and obtain your credit reports from them, next you need to identify any incorrect items on there that you do not recognise i.e. Credit agreements, Linked addresses that you have never lived at etc, when you have done this place a notice of dispute on each of the credit reports where the incorrect data is held, you can do this by letter, phone or electronic via the credit reference agencies web site, the notice of dispute will tell people like lenders i.e. banks and debt collectors who may look at your credit file that there is a problem and that something is being done about it, next you have two choices you can let the credit reference agency act on your behalf and they will contact all of the debt collectors and banks etc and work as a intermediary between yourself and the creditor or you can contact the debt collector/bank yourself and explain the situation, they will try and fob you off with statements like "If you cant prove who did this than you are liable for the debt" etc but if you are a strong person who can negotiate you will get through to the correct people who in my experience ask you for evidence in the form of, your address history i.e. mortgage agreements or rent book/tenancy agreement to show when you moved in/out of addresses, passport or drivers license etc, but when you are at this point you are making progress, so before I end this script please take note, you are a victim of identity theft, you are NOT liable for any of this debt and please believe me when I say this it will get sorted, don’t panic, debt collectors cannot come to your home and seize goods because credit card debt is unsecured and therefore bailiffs cannot enter your home and take stuff, so don’t believe any scare mongering that goes around on this subject. Good luck and I am sure you will get a great deal of support from people on here.