Fraud - Found Defaulted Phone Contract on my Credit Report!
Discussion
Morning (from the US) guys,
So, for the first time ever, I did a credit report on myself, yesterday! It was one of the £2 jobbies from Equifax in the UK.
Actually very good value etc and all quite interesting. My credit score was very good but far from perfect. This came as a bit of a surprise, if I am honest, so I delved a bit deeper...
It looks like someone took out a mobile phone contract with Orange, via Everything Everywhere (now EE) in my name while I was living in Singapore (2011).
So, 'I' have 6 unpaid bill markers on there, a default and, apparently, a debt recovery agency is after me - all due to that!
I have never missed a payment for anything I have actually done. So, this is the only negative!
I haven't lived in the UK since 2010 but the fraudster used the address of the flat I owned (at the time) but, more interestingly, seemed to get my DOB wrong!
How/ why was someone given credit for a phone with an incorrect DOB? Shouldn't someone have checked this or before it got on my credit file?
The debt is only for £113 as well! I'd have probably paid that to avoid this nonsense!
So, I called EE just now. It took 3 goes to speak to someone who provided some help. Apparently he spoke to his line manager and they have raised a fraud inquiry or something and will get back to me in 7 business days.
What happens from here? It's fairly easy for me to prove I wasn't in London at the time and was away when any calls were made but how easy is it to get these things off your credit file? Can't believe it has all been there for 2.5 years already
At the time, there were A LOT of fraudulent transactions made with catalogue companies, credit cards and alike in our residential building. We had a concierge who managed all the post and took in all the parcels and so suspicion fell on him. I knew of at least 10 different people who had problems. Sounds like I may have been a victim as well but I never even thought to look until yesterday.
I am considering moving home (London) this year so may well need credit etc for mortgages. So, although it's still very good and has never caused me any problems, it could and should be better. But will I always now have a problem?
Will EE contact credit agencies if this is fraud? Do I have to contact them myself?
Any help or thoughts you have would be appreciated - all very annoying!
So, for the first time ever, I did a credit report on myself, yesterday! It was one of the £2 jobbies from Equifax in the UK.
Actually very good value etc and all quite interesting. My credit score was very good but far from perfect. This came as a bit of a surprise, if I am honest, so I delved a bit deeper...
It looks like someone took out a mobile phone contract with Orange, via Everything Everywhere (now EE) in my name while I was living in Singapore (2011).
So, 'I' have 6 unpaid bill markers on there, a default and, apparently, a debt recovery agency is after me - all due to that!
I have never missed a payment for anything I have actually done. So, this is the only negative!
I haven't lived in the UK since 2010 but the fraudster used the address of the flat I owned (at the time) but, more interestingly, seemed to get my DOB wrong!
How/ why was someone given credit for a phone with an incorrect DOB? Shouldn't someone have checked this or before it got on my credit file?
The debt is only for £113 as well! I'd have probably paid that to avoid this nonsense!
So, I called EE just now. It took 3 goes to speak to someone who provided some help. Apparently he spoke to his line manager and they have raised a fraud inquiry or something and will get back to me in 7 business days.
What happens from here? It's fairly easy for me to prove I wasn't in London at the time and was away when any calls were made but how easy is it to get these things off your credit file? Can't believe it has all been there for 2.5 years already
At the time, there were A LOT of fraudulent transactions made with catalogue companies, credit cards and alike in our residential building. We had a concierge who managed all the post and took in all the parcels and so suspicion fell on him. I knew of at least 10 different people who had problems. Sounds like I may have been a victim as well but I never even thought to look until yesterday.
I am considering moving home (London) this year so may well need credit etc for mortgages. So, although it's still very good and has never caused me any problems, it could and should be better. But will I always now have a problem?
Will EE contact credit agencies if this is fraud? Do I have to contact them myself?
Any help or thoughts you have would be appreciated - all very annoying!
Edited by dom9 on Friday 14th February 16:08
Sorry to hear that you've been a victim of this. It can sometimes be a bit of a pain in the backside to resolve and does take time, but it helps that you have proof that you were abroad at the time as this will hopefully expedite things.
The information being held on you by the credit agencies will have been submitted by EE, and it will be their responsibility to correct the data and remove the late payment markers. If EE procedures are in any way similar to Wonga/Loan companies/Catalogue companies with whom I have had dealings in the past, you will receive some written correspondence to sign and confirm that you were not responsible for the credit agreement.
It will take a few months for the information to be removed from your credit reports, and you will be offered the opportunity to have a record created on CIFAS. This will place a warning marker against your details should a credit agreement be sought in the future, and you will need to perform additional verification steps to confirm your identity.
I have no professional background to this, just speaking as someone who has been the victim of identity fraud and mobile/payday loan/bank loan/catalogue fraud over a dozen times.
The information being held on you by the credit agencies will have been submitted by EE, and it will be their responsibility to correct the data and remove the late payment markers. If EE procedures are in any way similar to Wonga/Loan companies/Catalogue companies with whom I have had dealings in the past, you will receive some written correspondence to sign and confirm that you were not responsible for the credit agreement.
It will take a few months for the information to be removed from your credit reports, and you will be offered the opportunity to have a record created on CIFAS. This will place a warning marker against your details should a credit agreement be sought in the future, and you will need to perform additional verification steps to confirm your identity.
I have no professional background to this, just speaking as someone who has been the victim of identity fraud and mobile/payday loan/bank loan/catalogue fraud over a dozen times.
Thanks eltawater 
I also saw (after I wrote that post) that 'I' had applied for a Amex card as well, while I was living in the US!
Thankfully no one had used it, so maybe it wasn't intercepted?!
I spoke to EE and Amex and am having them do the relevant at their ends.
I'll get some letters written and in the post to the credit reference agencies this week!
I also saw (after I wrote that post) that 'I' had applied for a Amex card as well, while I was living in the US!
Thankfully no one had used it, so maybe it wasn't intercepted?!
I spoke to EE and Amex and am having them do the relevant at their ends.
I'll get some letters written and in the post to the credit reference agencies this week!
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