Your money

Your family

Your daily life

Your rights

Get advice

Please support us

Volunteer

Site updated:

12 February 2012

A bank that I do not normally deal with has contacted me to chase an outstanding debt. I think I may be a victim of identity theft. What should I do?

This information applies to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Identity theft is a type of fraud which takes place when someone you don't know gets hold of your personal details and uses them to apply for credit or to open an account in your name.

If you have been a victim of identity theft you will usually not have to pay for any money you have lost, unless it can be shown that you have acted fraudulently or without reasonable care, for example by keeping your PIN number written down with your card. You must act quickly:

contact the bank straight away, keep a record of all conversations you have with them, and copies of any letters sent or received
report the matter to the police, and get a crime reference number
check with the credit reference agencies (details below) whether any applications for credit have been made in your name. If they have, you can ask to have the information removed from your file
if you suspect that someone has got hold of your details by stealing your mail, or has fraudulently applied to get mail redirected from your address, you should contact the Royal Mail Customer Enquiry Number on: 08457 740740
contact CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service at ·www.cifas.org.uk. For a small fee they will make sure that anyone applying for credit in your name is automatically double-checked.