Frequently Asked Questions

Your identity is highly valuable and you need it to function in everyday life. Organisations need to verify your identity before opening new accounts or issuing goods / services.

Everybody has a unique identity in terms of DNA, fingerprints and physical appearance which cannot be easily replicated, but typical identity verification processes involve simple details such as name, date of birth, address, and mothers maiden name combined with documentation like utility bills, financial statements, payslips etc. Such details and documentation are shockingly easy to obtain, allowing someone else to impersonate you and steal your identity. A sophisticated Identity Thief can then use your basic personal details to obtain more convincing forms of identification such as Passports, Driving Licences and replacement Birth Certificates.

Identity Theft - is the misappropriation of the identity (such as the name, date of birth, current address or previous addresses) of another person, without their knowledge or consent.

Identity Fraud - is the use of a misappropriated identity in criminal activity, to obtain goods or services by deception.

A report that is compiled by one or more of the credit reference agencies that details credit history, credit inquiries and facts about all accounts ever opened with respective credit lines and on-time or late payment behavior.

Whenever you apply for a new form of credit, such as a mortgage, loan, insurance policy or credit card, the issuing organisation will check your personal credit file to understand the level of risk and/or profitability you pose.

When you apply for credit, be it for a mortgage, loan, credit card, contract phone deal or even a monthly paid insurance product the lender will ‘score’ you to predict your likely behaviour as a new customer. Organisations scoring systems are never published and will vary from lender to lender as well as by product type. Lenders use a multitude of sources to calculate their scores including your Application Form, past dealings with you as a customer and information held with Credit Reference Agencies.

The Credit Score that the lender comes up with will not only decide which products you can receive, but also the how competitive the interest rate they offer you will be. It is important to be aware that lenders consider profit above risk. Whilst risk is obviously an important factor, commercial organisations only want new customers who are ultimately likely to earn them profit.

A good way to maximise your Credit Score is to apply for the Equifax Credit Rating and AnalysisTM report as part of your FraudLock membership which will highlight areas which can be improved.

Credit reference agencies are commercial companies which compile information from a number of different sources, including the electoral roll, county court judgements and financial institutions.

They sell this information to lenders and other service providers in the form of credit reports which help them to decide whether to grant an application for a loan, credit card, or provide another financial product.

The three credit reference agencies operating in the UK are Experian, Equifax and Call Credit.

There is actually no such thing as a Credit Blacklist, although it can sometimes feel like there is! Please see ‘What is a Credit Score’

Even if you are doing everything possible on your own to protect your identity, you can be better protected with FraudLock. No one offers more complete, proactive protection that will take your security to the next level. By offering pro-active Credit File Protection, FraudLock goes that all important one step further than traditional Credit Monitoring Services. We're constantly developing new tools and services in order to stay one step ahead of identity thieves.

Independent Identity Theft experts rank FraudLock as the Number 1 protection service available in the UK.
www.identitytheftexpert.co.uk
www.comparecreditreports.co.uk

Becoming a member of FraudLock shows that you have recognised the very real threat of Identity Theft and the huge problems it can cause. The FraudLock service is different to the standard Credit Monitoring services available in the UK which only alert you once there is a problem. FraudLock helps stop identity theft before it happens with benefits including Credit Reports with unlimited on-line access, Credit Monitoring and Pro-active Credit File Protection.

If you have no registered for the FraudLock Pro-Active Protection benefit, there will be no difference to your credit application process.

If you have registered for the FraudLock Pro-Active Protection benefit, any future application for credit will highlighted to the credit issuer the need for additional identity verification steps to be taken. In order to facilitate this, FraudLock has partnered with the industry recognised organisation CIFAS. For further information, please visit www.cifas.org.uk

Yes, your credit report is provided with an industry leading detailed analysis of your credit score highlighting areas for improvement after 3 continuous months of membership.

The reason for this is that when you first view your credit report there will be simple and generic steps you can take to improve your profile. Once you have made these changes it takes up to 3 months for the amendments to filter through the credit reference agency systems. After this time, the production of the FraudLock detailed analysis will identify the areas required specific focus to further enhance you Credit Score.

As a member of FraudLock, your credit report will be provided by Equifax PLC – a leading global credit reference agency. Equifax will be able to assist you directly with any errors you identify within your personal Credit Report.

To join FraudLock we require the following:

Name
Home Address
Contact Numbers
E-mail Address
Payment Details
The payment details need to be registered to the home address provided for identity verification purposes.

In order to access your personal credit file information once you become a member of FraudLock there will be additional identity verification steps within the Equifax Dedicated Consumer Services Site.

You are free to cancel your membership at any time. Due to the nature of identity theft, and the protection that FraudLock provides for you, there is a specific cancellation process which requires you to complete a cancellation pack that is sent out to you in the post to your registered address. Once we receive the completed cancellation pack back in the freepost envelope, we will immediately cancel your protection and cease collection of any further payments. During the cancellation process your payment schedule will be suspended for 30 days to allow completion of the above.

To access your FraudLock Account online, just simply click the icon located below and at the top right of every page

On the login page, simply click the ‘forgotten my password’ link and follow the on screen instructions.

Such a call is likely to have been prompted by the application of the FraudLock Pro-Active Protection on your credit file whereby the creditor is carrying out additional identify verification steps during a fraudulent application process against you.

If you receive such a call, and it's not you who is applying for the credit, you should let the caller know that the application is fraudulent. You should then take as many details as possible from the creditor including the name of their representative and contact telephone numbers. Then, notify FraudLock as quickly as possible so we can look into the situation and possibly instigate a private investigation on your behalf.

Being a member of FraudLock does not affect your bank or credit accounts in any way.

Being a member does not affect your Credit Score in any way?

Simply login to the member’s section using your unique credentials and change you details accordingly.

The benefits of the FraudLock programme focus on preventing new line of credit fraud. Only you can monitor the use of your own accounts in conjunction with the sophisticated software the banks already use. We recommend you sign up form the statement reminder service and regularly check transactions and balances on all your accounts.

http://www.fraudlock.co.uk/what-can-i-do-to-protect-myself.php

As industry leaders in the field of identity theft, FraudLock take you personal security very seriously. For your peace of mind, we use only the highest specification secure servers combined with 256mb Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. We use PayPal – the global leader in secure transactions as the payment provider. FraudLock are registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as a trusted data processor and comply with all required process and procedures.

The Mailing Preference Service (MPS) is a free service set up 20 years ago and funded by the direct mail industry to enable consumers to have their names and home addresses in the UK removed from lists used by the industry. It is actively supported by the Royal Mail and all directly involved trade associations and fully supported by The Information Commissioners Office.

The MPS Consumer File is a list of names and addresses of consumers who have told us they wish to limit the amount of direct mail they receive. The use of the Consumer File by list-owners and users is a requirement of the British Code of Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing administered by the Advertising Standards Authority. It is also a condition under the Code of Practice of the Direct Marketing Association.

The MPS can remove your name from up to 95% of Direct Mail lists. It will not stop mail that has been sent from overseas, un-addressed material or mail addressed to The Occupier. You can expect to continue to receive mailings from companies with whom you have done business in the past. You may also receive mailings from small, local companies. If you wish these mailings to be stopped, you must notify these companies directly. It will take up to 4 months for the Service to have full effect although you should notice a reduction of the mail during this period.