Potential identity theft concerns

[Sir David Gray]

I recently contacted a company I deal with via social media with a query. I then received a private message from an account claiming to be the company and they asked for my name and address which I provided before realising almost immediately that it was a fake account. I then blocked the account and have not engaged with them since.

I am now extremely worried (as well as embarrassed) that I have been duped like this and potentially this information will now be used for the purposes of identity theft.

Can anyone say honestly how worried I should be and whether there's any steps I should be taking to prevent anything serious from happening?

I have already contacted the company concerned and raised my concerns although there was a language barrier so not too sure how successful that will be and I have also contacted my bank to ask them to be vigilant but I am really worried about my details being used for other purposes.

[Mon Dieu4]

I recently contacted a company I deal with via social media with a query. I then received a private message from an account claiming to be the company and they asked for my name and address which I provided before realising almost immediately that it was a fake account. I then blocked the account and have not engaged with them since.

I am now extremely worried (as well as embarrassed) that I have been duped like this and potentially this information will now be used for the purposes of identity theft.

Can anyone say honestly how worried I should be and whether there's any steps I should be taking to prevent anything serious from happening?

I have already contacted the company concerned and raised my concerns although there was a language barrier so not too sure how successful that will be and I have also contacted my bank to ask them to be vigilant but I am really worried about my details being used for other purposes.

If you aren't already I'd sign up for one of the credit searching sites/apps and keep an eye on it for the next wee while to make sure no one is trying to take out anything in your name, will probably be fine but better to be safe than sorry

[Sir David Gray]

If you aren't already I'd sign up for one of the credit searching sites/apps and keep an eye on it for the next wee while to make sure no one is trying to take out anything in your name, will probably be fine but better to be safe than sorry

Thanks for that is there any particular one you would recommend?

Honestly feel sick to my stomach right now, can't believe I was duped like that. I always think of myself as being quite aware to the risks online.

[Mon Dieu4]

Thanks for that is there any particular one you would recommend?

Honestly feel sick to my stomach right now, can't believe I was duped like that. I always think of myself as being quite aware to the risks online.

Experian and Equifax are the main ones, this link will tell you what to check for free, it's a handy thing for anyone to have, not just when you are paranoid about fraud

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/check-free-credit-report/

Don't be too hard on yourself, I know people who work in fraud that have been caught out before

[Santa Cruz]

Thanks for that is there any particular one you would recommend?

Honestly feel sick to my stomach right now, can't believe I was duped like that. I always think of myself as being quite aware to the risks online.

It's a horrible feeling. Happened to me but I never found out how my identity was stolen as I hadn't made contact with anyone. You will feel uneasy for a while but it just makes you more alert in future and hopefully they won't cause you any problems with just your name and address. I have used ClearScore for years to monitor my credit rating and activity. It's free and easy to use. Gives a fair amount of detail.

[Sir David Gray]

Experian and Equifax are the main ones, this link will tell you what to check for free, it's a handy thing for anyone to have, not just when you are paranoid about fraud

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/check-free-credit-report/

Don't be too hard on yourself, I know people who work in fraud that have been caught out before

Thanks again, appreciate it.

[Sir David Gray]

It's a horrible feeling. Happened to me but I never found out how my identity was stolen as I hadn't made contact with anyone. You will feel uneasy for a while but it just makes you more alert in future and hopefully they won't cause you any problems with just your name and address. I have used ClearScore for years to monitor my credit rating and activity. It's free and easy to use. Gives a fair amount of detail.

Thank you, yeah it's a really horrible feeling. I probably won't sleep much tonight as it's all I can think about.

I'll take a look, thanks.

[Newry Hibs]

If it's just your name and address, then i wouldn't be too worried.

They could get that from a phone book (is that still a thing) or electoral roll.

[stuart-farquhar]

I had the identity theft thing too.

One moment I was a handsome successful professional. Great salary 2nd home - in Provence- seeing you ask, fit, muscular and a talented sportsman. Adoring wife and kids. The lot.

Woke up last week and I was suddenly an old fat git with halitosis.

That's identity theft!

[Stairway 2 7]

The asking the address would be the start of the conversation, they would reply yes that's correct then go and get the important stuff. You will be fine with just name and address.

Don't beat yourself up its so easy to do. Your bombarded with attempts, from messages emails and calls ect. Least you'll be on your guard now

[Sir David Gray]

If it's just your name and address, then i wouldn't be too worried.

They could get that from a phone book (is that still a thing) or electoral roll.

Thanks yeah it was just my name and address, I realised it was a scam account as soon as I sent the information and then blocked the account immediately.

I'm hoping nothing happens off the back of this, I'm not overly worried about my existing business that I do being compromised but I am really worried that new accounts could be potentially set up in my name using my name and address.

[Sir David Gray]

The asking the address would be the start of the conversation, they would reply yes that's correct then go and get the important stuff. You will be fine with just name and address.

Don't beat yourself up its so easy to do. Your bombarded with attempts, from messages emails and calls ect. Least you'll be on your guard now

Thanks. These fake Twitter accounts are really potentially dangerous and more should be done to shut them down.

I've seen some humorous accounts over the years which are clearly just meant to be parody accounts but they can be quite sinister as I've seen for myself tonight and a hard line should be taken against them.

[EH6 Hibby]

There is also a government run website called CIFAS that you can register with, It costs £25 for 2 years but they will inform you immediately if anyone attempts to take credit out in your name. I work in fraud and we automatically register anyone that has been a victim of identity fraud. Maybe read up a wee bit before registering, because I did see someone mentioning it made it more difficult if you want to obtain credit yourself. I think though if you are registering yourself as a preventative measure, then it shouldn’t affect you in any way.

[Sir David Gray]

There is also a government run website called CIFAS that you can register with, It costs £25 for 2 years but they will inform you immediately if anyone attempts to take credit out in your name. I work in fraud and we automatically register anyone that has been a victim of identity fraud. Maybe read up a wee bit before registering, because I did see someone mentioning it made it more difficult if you want to obtain credit yourself. I think though if you are registering yourself as a preventative measure, then it shouldn’t affect you in any way.

Thanks for the advice I've been doing some reading on this and came across this option.

[WeeRussell]

I’d guess they might be hoping to get their hands on further info (E.g bank details)before being able to do anything damaging but understand your concern and generally just the sh** feeling of someone doing it to you.

I would say you shouldn’t be worried though if it’s just a name and address (your postman has hold of those almost every day). You’ll naturally be careful and ensure nothing more personal gets out in the near future - maybe keep a look out for any suspect phone calls or further emails in the next few days 👍

[WeeRussell]

Experian and Equifax are the main ones, this link will tell you what to check for free, it's a handy thing for anyone to have, not just when you are paranoid about fraud

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/loans/check-free-credit-report/

Don't be too hard on yourself, I know people who work in fraud that have been caught out before

Brilliant website 👍

[Sir David Gray]

I’d guess they might be hoping to get their hands on further info (E.g bank details)before being able to do anything damaging but understand your concern and generally just the sh** feeling of someone doing it to you.

I would say you shouldn’t be worried though if it’s just a name and address (your postman has hold of those almost every day). You’ll naturally be careful and ensure nothing more personal gets out in the near future - maybe keep a look out for any suspect phone calls or further emails in the next few days 👍

Cheers for the advice. 👍

[EH6 Hibby]

Another thing to mention as others have touched on is to be wary of any suspicious calls over the next week or so, particularly someone claiming to be from your bank who are calling because you may have given details to a fraudster. They will most likely mention the company you thought you were corresponding with. Anyone genuinely calling from the bank will be more than happy for you to end the call if you’re unsure, and will tell you to call a number that you trust, preferably from a different phone to check if the bank are actually looking to speak to you. It’s actually scary how convincing the fraudsters can be.

[Sir David Gray]

Another thing to mention as others have touched on is to be wary of any suspicious calls over the next week or so, particularly someone claiming to be from your bank who are calling because you may have given details to a fraudster. They will most likely mention the company you thought you were corresponding with. Anyone genuinely calling from the bank will be more than happy for you to end the call if you’re unsure, and will tell you to call a number that you trust, preferably from a different phone to check if the bank are actually looking to speak to you. It’s actually scary how convincing the fraudsters can be.

Thank you, thankfully they don't have a phone number for me but I will definitely be extra sensitive to anything like this from now on.

[beensaidbefore]

If it's just your name and address, then i wouldn't be too worried.

They could get that from a phone book (is that still a thing) or electoral roll.

Was going to post the same. Lots of info out there already. If they want date if birth, mother maiden name etc then that becomes a different ball game. In essence we could all steal our neighbours info as we will know names and addresses for sure.

[beensaidbefore]

Another thing to mention as others have touched on is to be wary of any suspicious calls over the next week or so, particularly someone claiming to be from your bank who are calling because you may have given details to a fraudster. They will most likely mention the company you thought you were corresponding with. Anyone genuinely calling from the bank will be more than happy for you to end the call if you’re unsure, and will tell you to call a number that you trust, preferably from a different phone to check if the bank are actually looking to speak to you. It’s actually scary how convincing the fraudsters can be.


Good advice ,especially if you use a landlines. Always use 2 phoes if possible to avoid someone holding the line.

[Sir David Gray]

Good advice ,especially if you use a landlines. Always use 2 phoes if possible to avoid someone holding the line.

Thank you, yes I'm very alert (believe it or not after last night's issues) to any phone calls I get and would not entertain any calls that I'm not expecting.

I deliberately do not put up information like my date of birth publicly on my social media accounts for that very reason and on Twitter I don't even use my real name.

This whole issue has come about because of call charges appearing on my account for calls I did not make and I asked my provider for help on social media and then this fake account private messaged me immediately afterwards to get my name and address. Because I was expecting a reply to my query I didn't think twice about giving the information they asked for. I am just thankful that they didn't ask for more information in that first message because I honestly think I would have provided it in that moment, which is really scary to think about.

If anyone is looking in on this thread please just always check that the account name is definitely genuine and linked to the company because a lot of these scam accounts are very convincing.

I barely slept at all last night so hopefully I get on better tonight. Thanks everyone who has taken the time to message and try to put my mind at ease.

[Since90+2]

Just to add to previous posts I wouldn't be massively concerned if its just your name and address. That sort of information is fairly easily attainable, obviously keep an eye on things but try not to worry too much.

I was notified about 6 months ago of a data breach from a company that held a lot more information than that on me, and so far it hasn't resulted in anything negative.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Good advice ,especially if you use a landlines. Always use 2 phoes if possible to avoid someone holding the line.

I constantly reinforce this point to my dad if he has any concerns about phonecalls. Tell them nothing and phone the company the caller purported to be from on another phone.

[superfurryhibby]

Every time I use Paypal I get inundated with messages about the security of my account.

Waiting on a parcel last week, I get a fake text from DPD , asking me to pay £1.99 for redelivery.

Even had fake Covid related texts after my recent positive test.

Our data is compromised so massively anyway, the fraudsters rely on the unwary and gullible and sadly many are taken in. As a few have stated, name and address is available via the electoral register. 2hat they really want......... is to know what football team you support.....Hibs related passwords anyone?

[overdrive]

Another general point about phone calls is that they can clone the genuine phone numbers from organisations to make it look genuine, so don't use the number they've phoned you from as an indication that it is genuinely the bank/company involved.

I had phone calls a couple of years ago from fraudsters claiming to be HMRC. It was so ridiculous that I didn't fall for it (they had no idea what PAYE was for a start) but when I googled the number that came up on my phone when they called, it was a genuine HMRC phone number so i could see how people may be fooled.