Help! Ongoing ID Theft problems

[ejd1]

Please can you advise me?
Last year having recently moved, I received a Notice of Debt Collection from Wescot Finance relating to a defaulted catalogue account openend in my name.
At the time I required a loan and was turned down, which I felt was strange, having always taken care of my finances.

I accessed my credit reports and there were numerous catalogue defaulted accounts showing, all relating to my previous address (I had sold the property in 2006).
The woman who was using my name misspelled it and used a different D.O.B which made the accounts more easy to recognise on my reports and to prove that I was not the person setting up these accounts (I hoped).

More bailifs letters started to arrive and I contacted the police as thecompanies concerned were not taking me seriously and I felt so helpless.
I wrote to all the companies with proof of my ID and dates to prove that I was not living at the address at the time the accounts were set up.

The police did not take it very seriously as technically no money had been directly stolen from me, however one or two of the catalogue companies agreed to proceed with proscecution and the police contacted me to say that they had recovered quite a lot of goods form my previous address and they told me the name of the woman who had been using my identity, they said she had admitted the offences but that the police would probably never know the outcome. They assured me that she would not continue.

Throughout this time I was treated with hostility by my own bank who turned me down for a loan even thought I had had no problems and banked with them for more than 14 years.
I also spent a great deal of time and money accessing credit reports from three different companies, endless expensive phone calls where I was treated with cynicism, sending proof to clear my name by registered mail, the whole ordeal was a stressful and bureaucratic nightmare and has had far reaching effects on my situation.

Eventually having taken out an ID Theft policy and having reiterated to the companies that I was not the person responsible for the debts I received letters from the companies concerned to confirm that they would remove these debts from my name on all credit reports and relevant records.

I couldnt afford to continue to monitor all three credit report sites but I took out CIFAS protection (which I recently discovered recorded the wrong category so I will also have to sort that out!) and I had thought that things had been resolved.

My fixed rate mortgage expires later this year and I really wanted to keep my credit reports in good order so that I can negotiate in October, however I returned from work yesterday (Friday) to another bailiffs letter (approx one year on) from Wescot relating to a defaulted catalogue account (Freemans).
I immediately contacted them and tried to explain what had happened last year, they were hostile and advised me to send in proof of ID etc but they refused to give me any details relating to the account.
I contacted the police as I was at a loss and they told me that someone would call me back (as yet nobody has called).

I rechecked my old credit reports obtained last year and saw that one of them was a Freemans account, I had also found the dreadful letter they sent which confirmed they would remove the debt from my name, however I strongly suspect that they have not done this and that I will now have to go through this whole nightmare again-what if the other accounts have also not been removed and start to reappear in my name?

I am waiting to hear from my ID Theft company (IPP) who told me that they would assign a case worker who would call me today but I feel totally helpless as these companies have clearly not done what they were supposed to do despite all the correspondence and if my credit history is compromised I could end up not being able to renew my mortgage.
This woman has devastated my financial situation and caused me so much stress, please can you advise me as I'm at the end of my tether.
I know I have to access all three reports (which I will do this weekend) but I am dreading seeing these accounts defaulting on there, it really it such a stressful ordeal and I really don't know what to do.

Thanks

[postggj]

my heart goes out to you
take it from me i was a victim of id fraud in 1998
to this day, even though my credit file is a1, i still get letters from debt collectors. with me it was a never ending task and took about three years to sort out.

one thing in your favour is you have id assist.
i never had this and they should be able to sort it out for you.

what you have to remember with debt collection agencies is rather than admitt defeat is they will cut and run and just sell the debt to another dca

my latest one is at the stage where i am about to take them to court myself

only advice i can give you is keep on checking your credit files and never let go and keep badgering the id assist team

[ejd1]

Thank you so much for your advice, I do hope you are succesful in court and your name is cleared and I will continue to badger IPP.

[JonCris]

Unless they stop passing false & misleading data (which is an offence) you may have to threaten the CRA's with litigation (& mean it) as it's from these that the information is derived by the DCA's in the 1st place. In other words it's best to go for the throat rather than the extremities.

The CRA's will claim all kinds of immunity "we are only repeating what our client tells us" (& we don't believe you) is the favourite. Don't believe it as after being told the info is false they can no longer rely on this "good faith' argument,.

IPP are hardly likely to recommend this course of action as they are in bed with the CRA's but it is the correct one to follow. If after informing them they still refuse to comply you can report them to the Information Commissioners Office before taking legal action yourself

Adding CIFAS is a waste of time as it merely hinders any application for credit is it stops what is an automated service & as cost is everything they reject you & move onto the next applicant

CIFAS is intended to absolve the CRA from responsibility for passing false data. It places the onus on the victim to tell them rather than they check the data is correct in the 1st place. Whenever they get caught out passing false data they wheel out the CIFAS argument

I'm sorry if it's not what you may want to hear but YOU must take control of the situation & not rely on those within the industry to fight your corner. They can't run with the hare & the hounds