Do I have to pay a loan someone else took out in my name?

No. If you did not apply for it and did not authorise anyone to, you did not agree to it. Tell the lender's fraud team, report it to Report Fraud, and put your dispute in writing. Under the FCA's debt collection rules, a firm told that the person it is pursuing is not the true borrower must suspend collection while it investigates, and it is for the firm to establish who owes the money.

A debt collector is chasing me for an account I never opened. What should I do?

Write to the collector saying you dispute the debt because the account was opened fraudulently in your name, give your Report Fraud reference, and ask it to pass the dispute to the original lender and stop collection while it is investigated. Contact the original lender's fraud team as well. Keep copies of everything.

How do I get a fraudulent account removed from my credit file?

Ask each credit reference agency that shows it, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, to correct it, and give them your Report Fraud reference. Under section 159 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 the agency has 28 days to say what it has done. If it does not remove the entry, you can ask it to add a notice of correction of up to 200 words. Usually the entry is removed once the lender accepts the account was fraud.

Is Cifas Protective Registration worth it?

It depends how exposed you think your details are. Cifas says it costs £30 for two years and flags your details on its National Fraud Database, so member organisations run extra checks on applications in your name. It can slow down your own applications a little, does not affect your credit score, and is not insurance against losses. Check the current price on the Cifas website before paying.

Can I go to the Financial Ombudsman Service if I was never the lender's customer?

Possibly. The ombudsman can only look at complaints from eligible complainants. The FCA's rules include a potential customer and a person the firm has tried to recover money from under a credit agreement, so if the lender or its collectors have chased you, say so. Complain to the lender first; you then have 6 months from its final response to refer the complaint.

A court judgment has been made against me for a debt I never took out. What can I do?

You can apply to the court to set the judgment aside, using application notice N244. GOV.UK says you can apply if you do not owe the money or did not receive the original claim. There is usually a court fee; check the current amount on GOV.UK. Apply promptly, and ask the claimant whether it will agree to the judgment being set aside once it has seen your Report Fraud reference.

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Someone Has Taken Out a Loan or Credit Card in My Name. Do I Have to Pay It?

A loan or credit account opened in your name by a fraudster is not your debt. What to tell the lender, the FCA rule that pauses collectio…