This article grew out of a reader’s question. Mrs J, asked:
Since February my husband has started to receive letters from WageDay Advance, Satsuma and QuickQuid saying that he has loans with them that need repaying. He doesn’t have any loans. We have sent Prove It letters to all three. We have now had letters saying that WageDay Advance and QuickQuid have passed the account to debt collectors.
In addition, he has now had a letter from Visa Vanquis saying that he has an unpaid credit card. He doesn’t have an account with them. On speaking to them, it seems that the account number doesn’t exist and that it will be sorted out at their end.
Along with the Prove It letters (sent by recorded delivery), my husband has also phoned WageDay Advance, Satsuma and QuickQuid telling them that the debts are not his.
They have not proved that the debts are his but they keep sending letters. The debts appear on his Experian credit record. I dread the post arriving every day. Why is this happening? Do you have any advice about what we should do? It’s really starting to get us down.
This sounds like identity theft – someone has got hold of Mr J’s details and is using them to apply for credit in his name.
Your experience may be different – identity theft cases can be quite individual. But the prinicples about what you need to do are common.
Contents
Ways you may find out you have been a victim
There are other ways you can find out about identity theft:
- a debt collector may contact you about a debt you don’t recognise;
- you may find debts you don’t recognise on your credit files;
- you may be declined for credit or a mortgage;
- your bank may suddenly close your account where you have had no problems.
Not all of those will turn out to be identity theft. But they all need to be investigated.
Sometimes the debt you didn’t know about was yours (a parking ticket or an old bill sent to a previous address?).
Sometimes there has been a “mistrace”, when someone else’s debt has been wrongly linked to your name. Have a look at your credit record. If there is no record there from the original lender, this may well be an error by the debt collector. If there is a record from the original lender this is more likely to be identity theft.
Identity theft is an increasing problem
Identity theft is happening a lot more in Britain. In 2019 it went up 18% to 223,000 cases – and those were just the ones that were identified.
And it’s depressingly rare that the criminals are caught even when the police take it seriously, as this story shows: Scammers set-up a Very credit account in my name and ordered £3,000 worth of goods.
Which? has some good tips on how to avoid identity theft and identity fraud.
5 steps to take when you are a victim of identity theft
Mr J has done the right things so far: sending a Prove It letter and phoning up the lenders. It is disappointing that none of the lenders seems to have actually grasped that there is a real problem here.
Here five things I suggest Mr J should do now. Some of them may turn out to not be needed, but after six months, I think going for them all is the best approach to getting this all ended as soon as possible.
1 Report identity theft to Action Fraud
Mr J should inform Action Fraud about this identity theft because it is a crime. He can do this online and he will get a Crime Reference Number (CRN).
This is unlikely to result in a police investigation, but being able to tell the lenders that you have reported this, and give them the CRN, should hopefully mean they take it more seriously.
2 Inform Experian about the identity theft
Experian have a Victims of Fraud team that can help you sort out problems – contact them at identityfraud@uk.experian.com or call them on 0344 481 8000.
3 Check other credit records and statements
So far this has mainly been a nuisance and a worry to Mr and Mrs J. Although the scammers seem to have got enough details about Mr J to fool a new lender, they haven’t mentioned any problems with their own accounts.
But it’s good to be very careful now and for at least another year.
Mr J should check his records with all three credit reference agencies every month, see Check your credit records for how to do this. He is looking for any new debts or accounts he doesn’t recognise and any new addresses or associations with other people being added.
He also needs to look at his bank statements and credit card statements every month to check that there are no wrong purchases showing on there.
He should also consider changing his passwords for online and mobile access to his bank accounts and credit cards. Until something wrong shows up, this isn’t essential, but he may decide that it’s better to be safe.
4 Complain to all the lenders
I suggest he also makes a formal written complaint to each of the lenders, by email or letter. He should put COMPLAINT ABOUT IDENTITY THEFT as the title of the email.
If a debt has been sold to a debt collector, you must send this letter to the the original lender, not the debt collector. Also email the debt collector and say this us identity theft and you are dusting it with the alleged lender.
These complaints need to say:
I have told you before [give dates] that I do not recognise this debt [give details of the debt on your credit record] and asked you to prove that it is mine. You have not done this and you have continued to send me letters. [add on if that the debt has been passed to a debt collector]
or if this is the first time you are telling them this, say
You have sent me a letter/email/text about a debt that is not mine [give details and dates] or I have found an entry on my credit record from you about a debt that is not mine [give details and attach screenshot]?
I have never borrowed from you. I have reported this to Action Fraud, this is my Crime Reference Number: 99999999.
I want you to do the following to put this right:
a) write me a letter accepting that the debt is not mine
b) agree that you will not sell this debt with my name on it to any third party [if it has already been sold change this to “Inform xxxxxx who the debt has been sold to that this is identify theft and the debt is not mine.]
c) remove the debt from my name with all UK credit reference agencies
d) after this, cease to send me any more communications about this alleged debt.
If this is not done within 8 weeks, I will be sending this complaint to the Financial Ombudsman and asking for compensation. [add more details if this has been going on for months already eg This has been causing me a great deal of stress and you have just been ignoring me.]”
If a lender doesn’t give in and correct the problem, Mr J should send his complaint to the Finanical Ombudsman and ask for compensation for the time and stress this has caused. He will need to send a separate complaint for each of the lenders.
5 Sign up for Cifas protection
Additionally, to stop any more problem debts happening, Mr J needs to sign up for protective registration at Cifas. This costs £20 for two years but I think it’s worth it.
After this has been done, when the thief tries to open a new account using Mr J’s details, the lender will see the Cifas flag and will have to contact him to ask if has applied for this credit – he can then say No.
This won’t damage Mr J’s credit score and it won’t stop Mr J himself taking out any further credit. It just means that his real applications will take a few extra days to process.
Top tip – check credit records 6 months before applying for a mortgage
You can try your best to keep your information private and be alert for phone, etc and email scams. But you can never rule it out totally.
Here is the sad story of someone who only found out about identity theft when her mortgage application was declined: ‘Having my identity stolen cost me £10,000’.
So even though you can’t stop it totally, it is good to check your credit records six months before you apply for a mortgage. Do this with all three credit reference agencies, see How to check your credit records for free. If you find a problem, you still have to sort out it out, but you avoid the costs and heartache of a house purchase falling through.
Improve your credit score for a mortgage
When can you get a default deleted?
AB1509 says
Hi
This happened to my husband years ago when we applied for a mortgage. The mortgage company said it would approve us if we paid off the arrears we had them on a bank account. We didn’t have an account with them so we’re baffled.
After some digging on his credit report, someone had been opening up accounts everywhere with his name and date of birth but not our address.
It was written off by mortgage lender as we could prove that he was actually out of the country when the person who had opened the account had actually gone into the bank with ID apparently!! Scary times when we thought we were careful with shredding documents etc and this was long before we were connected to the big wide Web.
We got experian to put the cifas warning on our credit file which meant we had to have extra checks when taking out credit but it was worth it and it sorted the problem out.
What was frustrating though is that the person who was doing this seemed to be protected by data protection as the bank wouldn’t allow us to see any documents this person had apparently used to open the account nor tell us anything about their investigation into how this happened. Lucky we could prove it wasn’t him.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It is a nightmare when this sort of problem comes to light in the middle of a mortgage application!
Louis says
I’ve acutally had a bank phone me once to verify some details about a new account I was opening, told them right away that it wasn’t me, not to open the account and they told me what information had been given. It’s shocking as to what people will do though but just glad nothing happened! The identitify theft film might be all laughs but not in the real world!
Ode says
Had a payday loan taken out in my name by someone close to me with out my knowledge, was unaware of this untill i received a defult notice, rang the company up and was told that they would look into this and get back to me, a month later i received a letter from a debt collector demanding payment so i rang them to explain and was told i need to make these payment. So i decided to set up a payment plan as i didnt want this to hurt my credit. Made my final payment in June and low and behold they loan company place a defult on my credit file, so i sent an email no reply the following week i decided to call and explained everything he said that he can see i phoned up in feb of 2018 but the underwrite that i spoke to do not work for the company anymore and they cant remove the defult as they have no notes from the underwriter, he emailed me an E mail acknowledging the account was opened fraudulently and they had no contact details at that time to contact me to make amends on the account. What can i do? as he refused to remove the defult. Many thaks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
It was very foolish to pay a debt when you are trying to tell the lender it is identity theft.
“he emailed me an E mail acknowledging the account was opened fraudulently and they had no contact details at that time to contact me to make amends on the account.” who emailed you and what date?
Karolina says
Hi Sara,
I stayed in UK for few weeks back in 2009, opened basic barclays account and went back home to Poland. Came back to UK in April 2010 for few weeks as well. Account was still open. After few years I realised i had that account so I called barclays and was told the account was closed down. I moved to Australia few years ago and out of the blue i reminded myself about barclays. So I called them and they couldn’t help me since I don’t have any letter anymore with details. They said to use mylostaccount so I did and got letter form barclays bank account was closed.
Karolina says
So the account was closed in 2012. Which is fine. But then j was wondering if I can check if someone was using my ID to open bank account or take loans?
Do you think it’s worth to ask CRA for statutory report? Or should I ask them them for SAR? Or should I maybe sent it to Cifas or somewhere to find out what info rhey have on my name etc.?
I contacted a person I was staying with in 2009 and said she can’t remember getting any mail in my name at the address. So do you think i should check it after 9-10 years?
Regards,
Karolina
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Honestly I don’t think you need to check after all this time. Wait until you have some evidence that there could be a problem.
Karolina says
So you think I should just leave it alone? And not ask for credit reports etc?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You have nothing to suggest there is any problem, have you?
Karolina says
Nope, no problems whatsoever.. just curious 🤷🏻♀️ I don’t even know if Barclays had my polish address to contact me or not..
I don’t know how it would work if someone took my identity and take a loan etc since I didn’t have anything in UK, no work no income.. i don’t even know why I started to worry about it
Jane says
Hi Sara,
I contacted you almost two years ago when my husband started to receive lots of letters from pay day loan companies asking for repayment of loans that weren’t his. You turned our many conversations into an article about identity theft.
We followed your advice to the letter and I am pleased to report that almost two years later, 4 out of the 5 loan companies have investigated our case and recognised that my husband had never had a loan from them- what a relief! However, we are absolutely hitting our heads against a brick wall with Satsuma. We have written all the necessary letters to them – they did not respond to us. We then passed the matter to the Financial Ombudsman in Jan 2019. They also contacted Satsuma but have had no response. Another year on and the ombudsman suggested we contact Satsuma directly and ask for the loan to be removed from my husbands credit history. They have now sent us the most awful letter saying they have never received any of our correspondence (I have proof of signature for the prove it letter sent by recorded delivery in 2018) and they state that the ombudsman has not made contact with them.
I am so cross! Should we got back to the Ombudsman and pass it back to them? We just cannot seem to get this one to go away.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Satsuma seem very slow and difficult at responding to affordability complaints and it’s bad news that applies to identity theft problems as well.
Yes, you should go back to the Ombudsman. I suggest you also ask for compensation for the length of time Satsuma has taken to sort this out.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I have sent you an email.
Lile says
My husband and I checked his credit for the first time two days ago and found 6 loans in his name he did not recognize and says he never took out! After looking at his bank statements we found these loans were deposited into his bank account and his ex partner had transferred the money from his account to her account and with some of the loans she took out cash. We have contacted Experian who will investigate and some of the loan companies! Action fraud says it isn’t a police reportable crime. We hope we can sort this out! Any advice? :/
Sara (Debt Camel) says
How long ago were these loans – was it before they had split up/
lile says
The loans were taken out in 2016 while they were still together :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
ok, it is very difficult to persuade the police or lenders this is fraud when your other half had access to your bank account.
He may need to assume he is lumbered with the debts and gets good debt advice on his options. Phone National Debtline on 0808 808 4000.
Kate says
Hi just after some advice my partner spilt up from his wife a year ago we have found out she took out loans ect all in his name which he said he didn’t know about it was all paid into his bank it wasn’t joint my, they are due to be divorced in august she has agreed to pay half as she is saying he did know about them, my partner has paid them all off I’m just wondering could we call the police or action fraud or will they not do anything
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Action Fraud hardly ever seem to do anything.
If you have a solicitor for the divorce, then these loans should be part of the agreed settlement.
Kate says
Thanks for quick reply, his wife has actually filled for divorce as he left her to be with me and had issues with alcohol which she put down as grounds for divorce which my husband has already signed and it’s been dealt with by a judge no solicitors involved. Should we call the police or do you think as he’s paid them just let it go
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I doubt the police will do anything. It was paid into your husband’s bank account – it’s his word against hers that he says she did it and he didn’t know.
R says
Hi Sara,
I’m at a loss of what to do and was wondering if you could help me. We recently reviewed our credit files as we want to buy a home and my partner has several accounts on there that he never applied for. Unpaid. He had a feeling it was his mum, he approached her and she admitted it. Upon calling the lender, they made us aware that there was actually one previously opened and paid for. As it was opened with his bank details, email and paid for prior to the unpaid loan they stated they will not deem this as fraud unless we send an arrest report. We already reported this to action fraud and have spoken to them twice, each time they informed us they would not investigate further and that we should seek legal advice. We spoke to civil legal advice as advised who then told us they do not deal with the matter. Today I spoke to the police in order to query what am arrest report was and how to get one and they told me that the only thing I could do was ask the company to report this to action fraud their end.. Which they won’t do. We don’t know how to move forward from this. We sent them the letter and the evidence of her paying funds in the day of her direct debit payments set up so that he wouldn’t notice. Any advice on what we can do?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So you have reported this to Action Fraud and the police say they won’t arrest his mum unless the lender reports the fraud?You can’t really do any more. I suggest you put in a complaint to the lender saying they are being unreasonable, you have shown them evidence his mum paid it and reported her to Action fraud, now you want the credit records deleted. Send the case to the financial ombudsman if they refuse.
ayaan ali says
Hi Sara,
I have been in a deep stress. I have been in the UK since 2011 and left UK in June 2018. Now I am moving to UK again on contract.
All of a sudden I opened and check my credit report and it says that I owe a big amount of money to banks and other lenders in the form of loans, borrowings and others. (Everything is applied and borrowed after june 2018). Also, I noticed that everyone who is asking me money is from the new banks which I never had account with when I was there.
Who should I file complaint with for the first instance? either police or any other firm like Transunion?
After getting the CRN from police, do I have to contact the banks or I need to contact them before that?
how to get rid of the loans which I dont recognise are taken by me, when I never took any loan.
Its frustrating.
Please help. Thank you.
Please help me in this. I want to get this off my name.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you go through all the steps outlined in the article above. Good luck.
Ange says
Hi
NatWest closed my accounts 1/July/20, via text message below. I never received an exit letter of explanation or anything as to how I was moving forward with my loan and funds that I had in my account. On the 3/7/20 I received from business opening team saying they’re processing a business account I had opened online. I contacted them and informed that I’m this weren’t me that did this and it was then I realised that I was a victim of identity theft. I contacted NatWest two weeks ago I was put through to their collections team who informed me that my loan with be settled outside the bank and was in the process of being passed on to debt collectors agency and they’ll contact me but also a default will be applied to my credit file. He also informed me that my account was overdrawn and interest was being added on to the account since while it was closed as well as withdrawals. I had reported my card missing on the 29/6/20 but the card was not cancelled and the person who had my card carried on using it making withdrawals 29/6/20 -1/7/20 which led my account to be overdrawn and all these withdrawals were made whilst I was at work, I contacted the fraud team last week they responded to say that I’m I’m requesting the refund 2 months later we’ll obviously it’s been two months since my account was closed and I have not heard anything from NatWest. The overdrawn charges and interest are over £1800. I take owenship to paying my loan but not to the charges and interest.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
From what you have said, you have a good complaint that Natwest should have cancelled your card when you reported it missing. Also they cannot add a default to your loan account if you never missed a payment but they stopped taking the DD – you should object and ask for this to be removed.
Kelly says
Just wondering if someone can help me…
I’ve received letters from Lowell for a debt which isn’t mine, the only thing I have in common with this person is name only. I sent the letters back advising not me, still got letters rang them and said it’s not me please leave me alone. They’ve now asked for documentation to prove my address from 5 years ok which I have done innocent and want to prove it’s not me. However in the interim they have now issued a small claim track which has completely rocked me because it’s not me and you can’t get through to anyone as they just think your ringing up your guilty. I am at my wits end in trying to clear my name I’ve checked my Experian and it doesn’t show on as a debt but just don’t know what to do now
Sara (Debt Camel) says
What sort of debt was this?
Kelly says
Hiya it was for catalogues looks like on the letter for freeman’s
So the plot thickens… my friend told me to check on credit karma even though I have Experian I have it’s scared me stiff there is multiple addresses which don’t relate to me, a bank account, British Gas to name a few how do I go about getting this removed from my credit file. We have the same name and date of birth that’s it we live in different cities completely
Sara (Debt Camel) says
OK so you have two seperate problems and you have to tackle both of them.
1) as Lowell’s have started a court case, I am afraid you have to defend it. You can try arguing with Lowell’s that they should never have started the case, but the safe thing is to put in a defence. This has to go in within the strict timescales so this needs doing now.
I don’t give advice on court cases in progress. I suggest you call National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and/or post on the Legal Beagles forum, see https://legalbeagles.info/forums/forum/legal-forums/court-claims-and-issues.
2) you need to get the incorrect addresses and debts taken off your credit record. You first need to find out exectly what is on there. i suggest you get the Statutory Report from all three credit reference agencies, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/best-way-to-check-credit-score/. They may all be different so you need to check them all.
You have posted on an article about identity theft. But in this case it may simply be that you have a pretty common name and you have been misidentified as the other Kelly in a town you have never lived in.
Once you have identified all the errors on each of the CRAs, i suggest you write to each of the CRAs to say these are not your debts, you never lived in that town, and attach the proof you lived somewhere else.
You could also add a Notice of Correction to each of the wrong debts saying this is not your debt and you never lived at that address.. See https://debtcamel.co.uk/notice-correction-credit-record/ for how to do this.
This is a considerable hassle for you but it is easier than waiting for the debt collectors to come after you and perhaps have tp defend more court cases.
Lisa says
Hi can u help please.
My sister used my mums bank card to order stuff and put my name and address on the items.
Me and mother don’t speak and she won’t help me clear my name through her bank, the Santander bank fraud squad told them they have evidence it was me and told everyone and made my life hell.
I contacted the bank, fraud squad etc they won’t speak to me regarding it or bring charges against me as my mother said no. But only way I can fight it.I opened a case with action fraud.
Amazon have another account with my name and address on it but I can’t access it without the phone number the person who made the account up as they put restrictions on the account. (The account she used to place orders with my mums card and my name)
I have contacted financial ombudsman
Action fraud etc
Was that bad I moved country from Scotland to Northern Ireland.
Months later another family member received a letter stating I took out a payday loan and used there name and I am not even living in that country any more. Phoned action fraud again but have no idea how to get to the bottom of it.
Please help
Lisa
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest you check the national fraud databases to see if your name is on there: https://debtcamel.co.uk/name-fraud-database/
Olga says
My son is a victim of fraud. 3 months ago he received a phone call from “his bank”. Apparently someone was applying for overdraft and they were checking if it was him. They asked to confirm his details. Shortly after that call he received message confirmation from his bank saying that his “loan request” was approved. He called bank and turned out that someone applied for loan on his behalf from his bank account. He has been transferred to the fraud department and they’ve taken all details and started investigation. Nearly 3 months on the issue still not resolved. Bank now started taking monthly repayments from his account. Contacted vbank seceraand they keep saying investigation in progress. Meantime, they taking money which seriously affecting him. Is that legal? What can be done?
Please advice.
Olga
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I suggest he contacts them and asks them to stop as he is disputing the debt and the payments are causing him hardship. And he should put in a formal complaint if they don’t do this quickly.
HAs he informed Action Fraud about this? they will be no use at all in investigating it but it means he will have a crime reference number to tell the bank.
Joe says
Good afternoon,
I have only (by complete chance) just found out, my ex wife took out a loan in my name in Oct 15; we were officially divorced at this time, and separated since 2013. She used her marital name and mine, and on the application stated I lived at her address. I never saw any statements etc for this loan as she had it paid into her account. I only found out last week as i received a cheque from Sainsbury’s for fees they had incorrectly added to a loan agreement i had with them. So, being honest, i phoned them to say i will return the cheque as they have made a mistake; this is when they informed me that i had taken out a joint loan. Apart from not applying for the loan, i was working and living at the other end of the country to her at the time. Moreover, when divorced, the court order stated that she remove me from our mortgage immediately, and that i should not be penalised for any missed payments etc. She never removed me from the mortgage, as she knew without my wages on the account (she was part time work only), the bank wouldn’t continue the mortgage. She then went on to default at least 15 times and in the process ruined my credit rating. The bank never removed me from the mortgage despite me sending them the court order, they said it was a personal issue, and not theirs. I cannot afford to take legal action. So, can you advise on how i process with the ID fraud, and how can i improve my credit rating? Thank you
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how large was the cheque you were sent?
has she defaulted on this loan?
Have you checked your credit records with all three credit reference agencies to see if there is anything else on there you don’t know about?
She never removed me from the mortgage, as she knew without my wages on the account (she was part time work only), the bank wouldn’t continue the mortgage.
In that case it wasn’t possible for her to remove you from the mortgage, it’s not her fault, the lender has to agree.
Joe says
I am waiting to hear more details on the loan I.e how much were there any defaults etc. I am yet to contact credit agencies, as only recently found out about this. The cheques was just under £100. But fact is she still took out a loan using my name. Regarding the mortgage, she refused to contact the bank to have me removed. She also ignored the banks correspondence regarding this. Thanks.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well check your credit records now, see https://debtcamel.co.uk/best-way-to-check-credit-score/. That will also show if there are defaults on the loan.
Lucy says
My daughter has mental health issues and has taken out multiple accounts in mine and my husband’s name. She owes quite a lot and has defaults and missed payments and doesn’t work due to her problems. We don’t have the money to pay these debts . We have only just found out about it and are panicking because now there are demands for these to be paid. My daughter is desperate to sort this out and wants everything to be put into her name but we are not sure if the companies will do this. Her mental health consultant has said that he will write to the companies to support her as she is awaiting trauma therapy and her actions have been due to the severe PTSD that she suffers from. We are terrified she will be prosecuted though as she has committed fraud . Do you think the companies will try and resolve this with her or take action against her. We want it sorted but we couldn’t see her prosecuted as it would cause her even more ill health.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Such a difficult situation for you.
But unless you want to repay the debts, there is no real alternative to telling the lenders what has happened. And you should report this as fraud to Action Fraud – https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/
There are almost no prosecutions for fraud in this country. The chance of the police actually doing anything is about zero. But if you don’t do this, the lenders may well not believe you.
And the lenders are not likely to consider a prosecution if they are told about your daughter’s mental health problems. The easiest way for this to happen is for her to take good debt advice. I suggest she phones National Debtline on 0808 808 4000 and explains what she has done and that her mental health consultant will support her in this. National Debtline can then provide her with a DMHEF (Debt and Mental Health Evidence Form) pack, for her consultant to complete. She can then send copies of this to each lender.
PS make sure this can’t happen again by you and your husband both signing up for Cifas protection as the article above suggests. Better safe than sorry…
Morgan says
I have been a victim of fraud/identify theft. I have had no help from any company at the minute. I first realised when I lost my Monzo Card, I then went onto my account to cancel my card and I ordered a new one but realised there had been transactions going in and out of my account. I didn’t see this until I went onto the account as I had switched my notifications off as I don’t use it as my mainstream bank account I only use it when I go abroad. There had been money going in from someone and then being withdrawn. I then seen that there was a lump some of money that had gone in from ‘Likely Loans’, I looked this up online to see it was a loan company and they had put £1000 into my account then it was withdrawn straight away. There was also other transactions that had been going on. I reported this to Monzo as it wasn’t me and they didn’t even flag this up to ask any questions about fraudulent activities. I then received a letter through the post to thank me for my application for the loan even though I had NOT applied for one.
I have reported this to Action Fraud and received a crime reference number which I have passed onto ‘Likely Loans’.
I have told the loan company that this was not me that applied for it and they said that the phone number and email was not the number I was calling on (clearly because it wasn’t me that applied for it). I then asked if I could have the phone number and email that was used and they couldn’t tell me because of security reasons even though this was supposed to be my account that I had apparently made. They did NOT do any security checks or ask for any kind of ID other than my stolen card that had my name on so it matched up to the account number for the loan to go into.
Likely Loans have been sending me emails, text messages and have been calling me telling me I owe my first payment of £99.50. They now have my actual email and phone number as they asked for this when I complained. They have switched the details instead of investigating with the details it was applied for with.
I have rang 101 to see what else I can do but they’ve said all I can do is wait for the Action Fraud team to do their part as they are part of the police. I have been on a live chat with Action Fraud and they have told me it’s down to the loan company to sort it so I have no clue what else I can do!
The Loan company know it wasn’t me as they could see it wasn’t applied for with my email or phone number but still they are trying to make me pay £1000 back to them and if I pay the £1000 straight away then I don’t have to pay any interest. On the Loan letter it also states that I am a ‘MRS’ but I am not, I am a ‘MISS’ and the person that has applied for this loan clearly didn’t look at my bank card to see that I am a Miss but Likely Loans are not seeing the little mistakes this person has made.
Weatherman says
Hi Morgan,
You’ve done the right thing by reporting to Action Fraud and getting your CRN. It’s disappointing that Likely Loans haven’t taken it seriously, and extremely bad that they’re now chasing *you* for it.
You should make a formal, written complaint to Likely Loans. Keep a record of any contact you have had with them. If they don’t answer your complaint within 8 weeks (or reject it), you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service, who will look at your case. They might decide to tell Likely Loans that they mustn’t chase you for the debt. They might also tell Likely Loans to pay you compensation for the stress and hassle.
You also need to check your credit reports. Experian have a Victims of Fraud team that you can contact at identityfraud@uk.experian.com or 0344 481 8000. You should also contact Transunion and Equifax. Doing this should also help you spot any other fraudulent debts on your file, so you can then go through the steps in this article with them as well.
Mark says
Hi, I have very recently obtained my credit report from check my file multi agency
There are a number of alarming unknown debts to credit cards on it , opened from a different address than my own
I have reported it to action fraud and have a case number .I am slowly working through the debt quoting the police ref number and saying I’m a victim of fraud and don’t recognise the address used
There has been very little response from the companies if at all , I don’t want to phone as my English isn’t good ,plus I want to keep it all in writing
What can I do next ?
Thanks
Weatherman says
Hi Mark
That does sound worrying, and it’s very disappointing that the lenders haven’t responded to you. Do you have a friend or family member who could call them on your behalf? Or your local Citizens Advice might be able to contact them for you. The lenders will need you to confirm that you are happy for someone else to speak for you. If they speak by phone, they should take notes, and ask the lenders to email you with what was discussed or agreed so that there is something in writing.
Lenders should also record their phonecalls, so if there is a disagreement they should provide these (either to you, or to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you complain to them).
You should also email Experian at identityfraud@uk.experian.com and explain what has happened. You can ask them to email you rather than call if that is easier for you.
Once it has been 8 weeks since you wrote to the company, if they have not responded, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/how-to-complain. You will need to do this separately for each lender.
Liv says
Hi, I need some advice.
My partner recently opened an Experian account and we discovered several defaulted accounts for a credit card and catalogues in his name.
After many discussions his Mam has admitted to opening the accounts and running up £4,000 of debt.
We’ve contacted all the accounts and debt collection agencies and raised some action fraud reports. What else do we do??
We were planning to apply for a mortgage at the end of this year but unless these get removed from his record we’ve got no hope!
Capital One have said it’s my partners responsibility so I have sent a lengthy email with dates of when we raised the reports and numerous evidence of his Mam admitting fraud. What else can we do.
I just feel so hopeless.
Weatherman says
Hi Liv
That’s a really difficult situation, you and your partner have my sympathies!
You’ve done the right thing can raising Action Fraud reports. Capital One are wrong. Complain to them in writing about their response, and if they reject your complaint or don’t reply for 8 weeks, go to the Financial Ombudsman Service. Do the same thing for any other creditors messing you around. If his mam has admitted the fraud, you should have a decent chance.
You also need to check your credit reports. Experian have a Victims of Fraud team that you can contact at identityfraud@uk.experian.com or 0344 481 8000.
Good luck!
Aethussa says
We had the same. You need to contact your local police and press charges, its classed a domestic incident.
Then you can give them the police reference too. You both need to willing to take the necessary action to get it out of your name or it simply won’t be
Sara (Debt Camel) says
In practice the police seem to give you a crime reference number and not do anything else.
Aethussa says
Oh, well we posted on here earlier up, contacted the police and they acted upon it straight away! They said as it was my partners mum it was a domestic incident including controlling and coercive behaviour and the debt was passed to her in the end :) I would certainly recommend it but only if you’re going to go the full mile.
Crime reference number was from action fraud who didnt do anything at all but our local police force did!
Mark says
After finding fraudulent accounts on my credit file and reported to action fraud , written to debt companies explaining things , a name of an ex has been flagged up by one company as being involved
Now if I tell them I know this person do they get in trouble ? Don’t want to dig up old ground , or could I just say I don’t know who it is ?Surely it’s up to action fraud to find this out
I really don’t want the person to get into trouble
Weatherman says
Hi Mark
To be quite honest, it’s unlikely that Action Fraud will do much in any event. Have you been asked if you know this person, or told that it makes any difference to the company handling your case? If not, there’s no requirement on you to volunteer the information…
Mark says
Yes they asked do I know the person , I said no because I don’t want to get them into trouble
Apparently my ex partner got stuff delivered to my address twice then the rest to their own address
It’s a bit of a mess , I guess they’re going to wonder how I don’t know them if they are getting stuff delivered to my address
Weatherman says
Hi Mark
These things do get messy!
I would be straight with the company. You’re not turning your ex in; the company clearly already suspects them! And the risk is that the company decides to reject your claim of fraud because they think your claim of fraud itself is fraudulent.
It’s a good thing to want to protect your ex, but if you protect your ex at all costs, you risk doing yourself a mischief.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Very often in this sort of case, the defrauded person has to choose between giving up and accepting they have to pay the debt as though it is theirs or reporting the person who dud it gif fraud to Action Fraud to get a crime reference number.
Often not a easy decision.
Mark says
Thanks guys , I have contacted action fraud before I found out it was an ex causing the problem
Would would happen to them if I said I knew it was them ?
I am finding your comment really valuable indeed , don’t know where else to turn to
So thanks for everything
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Possibly very little. But you can’t be sure of that.
Mark says
What’s the worst case scenario ? Can they have the debt transferred to them ? Thanks
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Well the worst case is they are prosecuted but normally Action Fraud do very little. It unlikely the loans would be transferred to them. Sorry it’s just not possible to say what will happen here.
Mark says
Ok thanks very much for your help , much appreciated
Germaine says
Hi I was scammed 2 days ago and I have taken all the necessary steps to protect myself I have reported it to my bank, I informed action fraud and have taken out cifas protection. I have a couple of questions about my personal finances such as my drivers licence needs updating and I have a finance policy where my address needs changing as I have moved house. Will having cifas make it harder to apply for these things?
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Not so far as I know.
Nikoleta says
Hello, my name is Nikoleta, I tried to create a bank account of two different banks, but both of them rejected me and I don’t understand why? I said to check some loans, I don’t know what those loans are. Since I am here, I do not have a bank account because I was waiting for documents. I said to open a bank account, but I don’t understand why it doesn’t work?! .. I decided to write to you if you can help me understand why it happens. And if there is a use of identity
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I think you need someone to help you look at this. I suggest you contact your local Citizens Advice – put your postcode into here https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/contact-us/contact-us/search-for-your-local-citizens-advice/
Elm89 says
Hi Sara
My partner and I are currently tackling lots of loan companies who have appeared on his credit file but which are not his accounts. One such account relates to Indigo Michael (AKA SafetyNet Credit) with an account from 2017 which they closed October 2020. On looking, they have logged payments as being made to them up to 2019 and then recorded ‘An arrangement to pay’ in place before showing it as closed. We emailed Indigo Michael to ask that they remove the account as it’s nothing to do with my partner but we had no response. We finally managed to get through on the phone today and he was told they can’t talk to him about the account because it’s now been sold to Lantern.
Lantern are not reporting to his credit file and we are hesitant to start any line of communication with a DCA who have made no contact, particularly as this is a debt that is not his (we don’t need them adding to the problem!) We have raised a dispute with Equifax (only credit agency reporting the Indigo Michael account) but we are unsure what else to do. It’s terrifying to think accounts are being linked to his name/address/DOB that are not his. Is there anything else you would advise? We don’t understand why Indigo Michael say it’s nothing to do with them when they are the ones reporting to Equifax each month.
Thanks in advance.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
how many loans are there? Are the others showing on Experian and TransUnion?
Have you been contacted by any of the lenders or debt collectors, or is the only reason you know about this the credit reports?
Elm89 says
Hi Sara,
There are around 4 loans and then a couple of DCAs which look to be linked to some of the loans. He has had a couple of letters over the years but has phoned the companies at the time to confirm they are nothing to do with him and then he’s never had further communication, I suppose then naively assumed that was the end of it. Never any phone calls, never any emails, only ever letters. It is only since getting all three credit reports via Check My File we have noticed them being recorded against him and these are ones we’ve never heard of. A couple are recorded to Equifax, a couple to TransUnion only and then a couple are reporting to all. He was a victim of fraud in 2019 via his Lloyds bank account and his case is just being settled (in his favour) with FOS as Lloyds have taken so long to refund him his money, however some of the loans (such as the IndigoMichael one) date back to 2017/2018 so we’re not sure if that’s linked. There’s been nothing more linked to him since he has switched banks. It’s really getting us down, he is going to Lloyds next week to retrieve all his old bank statements as it seems that’s the only way he can prove he has never been in receipt of any of these! While some are showing as never paid, others appear to have had payments made to them at varying points before being put into default/sold on. It feels like a never ending circle at the moment :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
The reason I asked if you had only just found out and never been contacted by the companies is could be a simple mismatch at the CRAs and suddenly he is being shown someone else’s data – but that isn’t what has happened – it sounds like a systematic fraud/identity theft.
First, sympathy! It’s hard that he has to do all the hard work when he is the victim.
If he never reported to Action fraud before, he should do this now – getting a crime reference number really help the conversation with the original lenders. Instead of saying “Please delete this I never took this loan” you say “This is a case of identity theft, here is the crime reference number.”
It is the original lender you have to do this with, not the current debt collector – they have no idea who the original loan was given to. Sort the original lenders out and then the debt collectors will have to do the same.
You can ask the lenders what bank account the payments were made to – it won’t be his…
Elm89 says
Hi Sara
Thanks for the advice. We have reported each individual account to Action Fraud now and have crime reference numbers. We have raised a dispute via Resolver as it seems impossible to get to Indigo Michael directly.
We disputed one with Onstride via Resolver after they ignored us for a week and someone got back to us today (within 24hrs!) to say they wouldn’t uphold the complaint because they are legally required to record adverse payments to credit agencies. We responded to say that’s all well and good but they are also required to ensure the accounts they open are not fraudulent and are therefore reported against the correct credit files. The woman said it was a ‘final decision’ but we’ve argued back with Action Fraud ref number and asked that it be escalated to the fraud team (she gave us their email and we will contact them separately too). I don’t think we can go to FOS with them being in administration.
She also said my partner is apparently paying them monthly as part of a debt management scheme – apparently he paid 18p in May! He absolutely didn’t and has never been in a debt management scheme in his life. At no point did she provide proof the debt is his, she just listed all the activity associated with the account. All of that is irrelevant and we said even if it was fully paid, it’s not his so shouldn’t be on his file!
Hoping for a more successful outcome as feel so helpless :(
Sara (Debt Camel) says
You are making progress, persevere… also tell Experian about the identity theft.
Emma says
Hi sorry to comment on an old post.
Having some struggles with my partner’ credit reports as he’s had loans/credit cards linked to him which aren’t his.
We’ve learnt two are being paid via Gregory Pennington which he has never had any dealings with. One debt – an Aqua credit card that’s now with Cabot – is apparently being given £4.80 p/m via GP. Cabot have given a photocopy of a signature at the bottom of a GP ‘letter of authority’ and it is not my partner’s signature at all.
He did have an Aqua credit card at a previous address many years ago and paid in full. This account with Cabot was apparently opened in 2018 and defaulted in 2019. They have enclosed letters they say they have sent, none of which we have received though the address they have is ours. They claim they made recent phoncalls to him too where he confirmed all details before offering a lump sum payment!
We already have a case worker from FOS helping him with other fraud issues at the moment, he’s tried to speak to her today about this but she’s not available until Tuesday.
We’re just baffled and don’t understand what has happened. The companies are adamant their credit reporting is correct but these are nothing to do with him.
We’ve made reports to Action Fraud but not sure what our options are other than hoping the FOS can help. We want to buy a house and it’s looking more and more challenging.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Emma
Sara (Debt Camel) says
So lots of questions.
Has he spoken to GP? They are paying an aqua debt currently with Cabot. What is the other debt they are paying that is in his name on his credit records?
Has ha asked Cabot to produce the CCA agreements for the debts in his name?
Has he sent a Subject Access Request to Cabot asking for copies of all personal information they have for him?
Has he sent Aqua a Subject Access request asking for copies of all the personal information they have about him/
What are the other fraud problems that FOS is looking at for him – which lenders? Currently with debt collectors?
Emma says
Hi thanks. Cabot sent CCA but it says ‘signature of customer’ with a ticked box and date/time stamp with an IP address. They’ve enclosed letters they say they and Aqua sent. While the postcode matches us, the address doesn’t quite as we live in a village (our road name is a common one and there are several in the nearby city which is on the address). They claim he phoned them on 27th May 2021 and have summarised what was said- they must have a recording but it won’t be him! We haven’t spoken to GP yet, we weren’t sure whether to wait until we have spoken to FOS.
Another loan apparently being paid by GP is with OnStride – they are adamant they paid a small loan to his bank account 11 years ago (Lloyds – a bank he’s not with anymore so waiting on statements to check which is a whole other issue). He’d never heard of GP before all this.
A loan from 10 years ago with United Kash which has been settled recently (not him). Sizeable loan with Everyday Loans opened a couple of years ago, payments made for a bit now ‘arrangement to pay’ in place. Has never been in branch/never had any sum from them/never paid them. A loan with 118/Azzurro – under investigation.
An account with Indigo Michael with arrangement to pay – no idea what it is.
FOS currently helping with a case against Lloyds where he had online payments intercepted 2 years ago, confirmed as fraud but they have taken this long to return the money (due next week).
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Send Cabot the SAR and say you would like a recording of all phone calls as well as the written data.
I see no harm in speaking to GP now. It wastes time trying to do all these things in some order. do them all now as you don’t know which of them will turn up the helpful clues about what is happening.
If GP are paying out money on these debts, then someone – not your partner (I really hope!) – is paying them. They are effectively just a distribution channel. He needs to ask them what bank that payment in is coming from and send GP a SAR too if they are not very co-operative.
OnStride was known 11 years ago as Pounds To Pocket, a payday lender – does that ring a bell with him?
Also send United KASH, Everyday loans, 118 and Indigo Michael SARs. Indigo Michael is best known for Safetynet Credit – an unpleasant payday loan product but which requires them to have Open Banking access to the borrower’s current account… a SAR from them may go a long way to finding out who the mysterious person is that has taken this credit and is paying for it.
This sounds more like a mix up than identity theft – it is unusual to try to take loans in someone else’s name and then go on to have a debt management plan and payment arrangements.
Emma says
Thank you for replying. Do you have to pay for SARs?
We’ve delved into this Aqua/Cabot account more and we think it could actually be an old fuel card he had but he never had any of these communications about it and thought it was paid off.
He’s not making regular payments to GP so now we are wondering if it’s possible that someone else could be paying towards his accounts in error as part of their debt management scheme? Seems odd tho. Could they be linked to them incorrectly and would that in turn cause the unsecured loans to show on his credit file, even though they might actually be related to whoever is in the scheme with Gregory Pennington? The OnStride loan was apparently a Pounds to Pocket one, he is sure he didn’t apply for it but he was only 19 at the time and did contemplate a payday loan way back then but is certain he didn’t go through with it, so now we’re worried maybe it was authorised and he just disregarded it which is really frustrating if that’s the case as it was a very small amount that’s now haunting him if so.
We are so desperate to get his bank statements from Lloyds so we can check all of this, particularly the loans because those are the things we really can’t get to grips with and are much larger amounts that I’m sure he’d notice suddenly appearing in his bank. Everyday Loans require in branch application from what we can tell and we don’t even live near one. It’s very frightening and I feel at a loss because I can only help so much.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
No SARs are free :)
You are going to get mountains of paperwork but I think some of them will be helpful, you don’t know which until you get them. Send them all off now – they may take several weeks to arrive.
So the Onstride loan was a long time ago? It should NOT still be showing on his credit record even if was his loan.
He’s not making regular payments to GP so now we are wondering if it’s possible that someone else could be paying towards his accounts in error as part of their debt management scheme?
That sounds convoluted. Phone GP and if he can’t get through security, send them a SAR.
Emma says
Thank you. I just don’t understand how else it’s happening when we can see in his bank now he’s not paying anything to GP. I don’t know what on earth to think.
The OnStride loan is still an ‘open account’ apparently getting 18p a month via GP, I think that’s why it’s still showing? It just doesn’t make sense, it has an oustanding balance of about £24 which if my partner had ever been aware of he would just pay. It was opened in 2010 and the last 4 digits of the account they paid to do match his which really threw us as he has no recollection of it and yet it’s apparently being paid back by somebody. M
The other complication is we are moving house in a couple of weeks so I don’t want to request reems of things for us to miss them (although I suppose Post Office redirect should help).
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Phone GP – really this could help! GP are not a creditor, they are a debt advice agency.
You don’t know if the debts are his. But the combination of the debts being his AND someone else paying for them via GP seems unlikely although not impossible. It seems possible the debts aren’t his, someone else is paying their own debts via GP and they are incorrectly on his credit record.
A default should still have been registered for the Onstride debt even it is getting a token payment. Onstride is currently in administration. This one may be easy to get resolved in a few months as by then the administration will be at a very late stage.
Emma says
Thank you, I’m so sorry for all the questions, we really just can’t get our heads around it and as you can imagine it’s causing a lot of friction as we’re both getting so frustrated.
All we can see for Onstride is that they were continually logging a ‘1’ (missed payment) every month in 2015 and then suddenly it changed to ‘AR’ in 2016, so really it should have at least defaulted in 2015? Maybe even earlier than that but we can’t see back any further.
The only upside from the Cabot letter is they have included this photocopied signature which although is his first initial and surname, it’s now way near how he writes or signs it and he hasn’t entered an agreement with them, there’s nothing leaving his bank account to them (when we were first told about them we thought it was a person!!)
Thanks for all your advice again and all you do. Hopefully we can get somewhere and I can come back with an update. :(
Laura says
Hi I’m just writing on the hopes to get some advice,a loan was taken out in my name ,not by me ,I informed the lender when they sent an email asking to confirm, I didn’t confirm or sign anything and halfway through their investigating,I found out it was founded into an old account,I was informed by a debt help team was shut down, which turned out to be a load of rubbish, their final answer was that I was not bound by the terms, but liable to pay it back, when speaking to their financial team they said I am to pay the whole loan including interest, I am not able to access the account on their website,nor the bank they funded it in, I’ve filled in a form with ombudsman, waiting for a response, I was told by my bank not to send my details to the lender, except they are wanting me to start paying the loan I did not know anything about, the debts I was supposed to get help with was not paid off except one, the rest, through me putting and taking money from my savings account is lost , I’m really worried I’m going to be left paying this for 6years , when I was going to be debt free by the end of the year, everywhere I’ve spoken to , keep saying identity theft is not a crime. I don’t understand understand where I stand with this.
Sara (Debt Camel) says
who was the lender?
I was told by my bank not to send my details to the lender
That sounds like good advice if you did not take this loan.
the debts I was supposed to get help with was not paid off except one, the rest, through me putting and taking money from my savings account is lost
I don’t understand this – was this loan supposed to clear your debts?
Who did you take advice from?
Thomas H says
Hi my GF has just been a victim of identity fraud someone has got hold of her details and phone number, applied for a payday loan for £800 in her name and when it went into her bank she received a WhatsApp msg saying that the money sent is was not meant for her and was a mistake and can she foward it on, my GF questioned this person and then they threatend saying if she does not send it they know where she lives and somthing could happen, they was consistent with saying it was a accident and wanted the money sending into another account, which my GF did before ringing the finance company who sent the money into her bank in the first place to see if a loan had been set up in her name falsely, only after we did this to find out that’s the case and this person has the money now. Reported it to the bank and action fraud and also the finance company we are just waiting to hear back. Who is liable to pay that loan of any help would be very much appreciated
Sara (Debt Camel) says
Did she think she was being contacted by the lender?
Does she know who did contact her?
TRH says
It was a random number not sure how they got it. and no she fort that someone has just got her mistaken from somebody else, but was scammed do you think that she is going to be liable to pay the loan back? Her bank are doing a investigation
Sara (Debt Camel) says
I don’t know what her bank will decide, but it is possible she may be able to prove to the lender she did not take out the loan.
KP says
I have been a victim of identity theft, I dropped my driving licence and it has been used to gain money from a loan, I contacted Experian, and put a cifas protection on my identity. I received a letter from Equifax saying they noted I had been victim of identity theft. I must admit I didn’t contact Transunion as I was overwhelmed the trying to sort out a debt collection agency, trying to prove I didn’t own the bank account where loans had been deposited and constantly being told by Action Fraud that identity theft is not a crime. I haven’t had money taken from me personally but the loan companies weren’t satisfied with a crime reference number.
I now have another loan that has been allowed to go through via an Equifax check, and also a CCJ that had appeared on my report that was raised and settled over a year before my details were stolen. The CCJ is attached to an address I have never lived at and from what I can gather the perpetrator has the same. Age as me so it is assumed it’s me. The burden of proof falls on the victim and it’s not only distressing it takes hours of your time to call and try and find someone who will listen. I am now being faced with a large bill to try and remove this from my report, remove an address I have never lived at but where a connection has been made. I am disgusted at the treatment of people dealing with this, my personal government ID is being used and no one is taking it seriously.