Possible ID Theft

Eliminator

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I think I might have an issue with ID theft but not sure what to do and was hoping to seek ideas on what to do?

The situation is a received a letter this morning from very.co.uk:
Very_Letter.jpg


The trouble is I haven't setup an account with Very so there is either a mistake or this is identity theft. There are some errors on the letter though:

- My name is slightly wrong (the surname is correct but the initial is wrong).

- The address is slightly wrong (the house number is out by 1 and it says ground floor whereas I am not).

What should I do? The options as I see it are;

1. Hand deliver to the stated address. I don't know if there is a person with the same name as me living at that address (we are not neighbours as it is an odd number it is on the other side of the road and the numbers don't marry up as its a long road). However, I have an unusual surname and the postie saw my surname and redirected it to me which suggests he knows that isn't the case.

2. Return to sender. I could return the letter with a 'not known at this address' annotation on the envelope.

3. Contact Very. This was my first thought and seems the obvious and right thing to do. But what if there has been ID fraud and following my phone call they update the account to point at me? At the moment they have the wrong name and wrong address (only slightly in each though) and I don't really want to get involved. I have a spotless credit record and want to keep it that way. I could phone them anonymously but I can't see a company taking action on such a phone call. I am also wary about giving a company my data that could let this happen in the first place. A quick Google also says the company insists on you registering your address as a victim of fraud which will impact future credit.

Help!
 
It wouldn't harm to determine the name of the occupant at the other address before anything else.
The postcodes would be different (walksort) if it's on the other side of the street, you could check that online too.
Find an address or postcode
 
Double check the phone numbers first, as I doubt fraudsters will be using 0800 numbers. Then call Very to get to the bottom of this before it gets out of hand.
 
If it is the wrong name and wrong address, my recommendation would be to just to put it through the door of the addressee (or back in the post if its some distance from you).
 
Double check the phone numbers first, as I doubt fraudsters will be using 0800 numbers. Then call Very to get to the bottom of this before it gets out of hand.
It isn't fraudsters who have sent the letter, it's fraudsters who have set up an account with Very. Unless it's legit and the person at the other address shares surname with the OP.

OP doesn't want to alert credit reference to his involvement incase it negatively affects future checks, or to alert Very to his real name and address in case they make him responsible for any debts due from the account.
If it is the wrong name and wrong address, my recommendation would be to just to put it through the door of the addressee (or back in the post if its some distance from you).
At this point, OP isn't certain that he is not the addressee.
 
Ignoring it won't necessarily stop the credit reference agency from linking to you, nor will it stop the fraudsters from doing it again if it is ID theft.

OP have you bought something from Very before? They can be sneaky and set up an account whne making a single purchase and you might not have realised what you signed up for.
 
I had the exact same situation about 8 years ago with Very. Phone them. If you aren’t sure find their number independently. Ask for their fraud dept. They sorted it almost immediately and I had no impact on my credit record
 
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply. I am going to think about what to do. I have tried knocking on the door of the actual addressee a few times but no reply. Certainly never had a Very account or even heard of them before this. I also took another look at the address on the envelope and I saw the postcode is wrong as well (it is the right address for the property the letter should have been delivered to). So other than having my surname on the letter (but a different initial) and it being erroneously being delivered to me I am not sure it is actually for me. I am half thinking that ego might have got the better of me here and someone else nearby does have my surname. :blush:
 
Thank you to everyone for taking the time to reply. I am going to think about what to do. I have tried knocking on the door of the actual addressee a few times but no reply. Certainly never had a Very account or even heard of them before this. I also took another look at the address on the envelope and I saw the postcode is wrong as well (it is the right address for the property the letter should have been delivered to). So other than having my surname on the letter (but a different initial) and it being erroneously being delivered to me I am not sure it is actually for me. I am half thinking that ego might have got the better of me here and someone else nearby does have my surname. :blush:
Could maybe go to your local library (if open) & see if they’re on the public electoral roll.

If they don’t appear, it doesn’t help as they could’ve opted out if the public register.
However, if the address does have someone registered with the same surname, then that should allay your fears.
 
I had this a few years back with SKY. They sent a demand to my address via a debt recovery company but the name was misspelled by one letter so I just called them up and they agreed it wasn't me and I would receive no more letters.


Cheapest 18 month SKY contract I've had so far....
 
if it's the wrong name and address means it's not you. Drop it back in the post and check your credit file.

To give credit they would have done a credit file check then the name and address will be checked. Your credit file would show that they had done a search.
 
In the time you've taken to write and reply to this you could've had this sewn up with Very. Simply you just have to voice your concerns over the name and house number being very close to yours, but not quite right and they will see it for what it is and terminate the account.
 

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