What to do if a credit card is opened in your name

If someone else opens a credit card in your name, you should act quickly. You need to contact several organisations – including Action Fraud – to safeguard your existing accounts and prevent more money from being stolen. 

Here is a step-by-step guide on what to do and when to do it.

Who to contact if you’re the victim of identity fraud

1. Your bank

The first thing you should do is contact your existing bank (or banks) to check that your accounts are safe. Go to each bank’s website and find the number for their fraud team. Explain what you think has happened, and let them know that you’re worried your money is at risk.

If you know which credit company the bogus account is with, you should also contact them. You should be able to find this out if you’ve had statements or letters about an account in your name that you didn’t open.

Do not call the number on any mail that’s been sent to the house. Look up the number for the financial institution’s fraud team instead. Tell it that you didn’t open the account, and it should be able to block the card from being used.

2. Action Fraud

The next organisation to contact is Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime reporting centre. It will give you a crime reference number, which you may need to pass on to the company that provided the fraudulent account.

It will also give you advice on any next steps you need to take. You can ring them on 0300 123 2040 or use textphone on 0300 123 2050 from Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.

3. Credit reference agencies

Credit reference agencies (CRAs) are the organisations that hold financial and credit history data on you. This information is used to build your credit history and credit score.

The UK has three main agencies: TransUnion, Equifax and Experian. You need to speak to all three, as they all hold slightly different information. Explain that you’ve been a victim of fraud, and tell them which account you didn’t open. They should be able to remove it from your credit file. 

This is a crucial step because it protects your credit history from possible black marks, which could occur if the fraudsters exceed the credit card’s limit or fail to make repayments on the fraudulent account, for instance.

You should also ask the credit reference agencies to list all the accounts on your file. This might alert you to other fraudulent accounts that criminals have set up in your name.

You can also ask the CRAs to add a password to your file, known as a ‘notice of correction’. Doing this will help prevent you from becoming a target again because the CRAs will ask for the password whenever someone makes a credit application in your name.

Read more: How long does it take to improve your credit score

4. Royal Mail

One common way that criminals get details to commit identity fraud is by stealing post or having it redirected. So, it’s a good idea to call the Royal Mail customer enquiry line on 03457 740 740 to check there are no redirects in place.

How to get your money back if you’ve been a victim of identity fraud

If you’re the victim of fraud, you should get your money back, although there is no guarantee of this. If the bank thinks you’ve been negligent – for instance, if you told someone your PIN or password – you might not get the stolen cash refunded. However, it’s essential to know that the bank cannot say someone authorised a transaction just because they used a PIN or password. 

If the bank refuses to give your money back, you can make an official complaint. If that doesn’t work, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

How to find out if someone opened a credit card in your name

For many, the first sign of someone opening a new credit card in their name is when statements, bills and account information about the card arrive at their house. For some, it’s when debt collectors arrive due to defaults on accounts they knew nothing about.

Regularly checking your credit reports can alert you to fraudulent activity earlier. For instance, it can highlight account searches and applications you know you haven’t made. This can help you to report criminal activity more quickly, which in turn safeguards your finances.

How to protect yourself from being targeted again

If you’ve been the victim of identity fraud once, there’s a chance the criminals may try again.

Adding a notice of correction to all three CRAs’ credit files is an important safeguard. It guarantees people can’t open accounts in your name without a password. 

Make sure the password you choose isn’t one you use for anything else. At the same time, make sure that all of your bank accounts have complex and unique passwords to avoid criminals gaining access.

You should also ensure that you never respond to cold calls or emails and never give out personal information either over the phone or in response to an email – even if it looks and sounds like your bank. Ensure you don’t click links or download attachments from unknown email addresses, as these may be part of a phishing attack, a common scammer tactic to gather information.

Make sure you’re careful about what you post on social media, too. Even things that seem innocent, like a picture taken on your birthday or posting details of your pets’ names, can give criminals valuable information, such as your date of birth and answers to common secret questions.