Do You Have Two Wives?

How to tell if your wife is a victim of

online identity theft

Online identity theft is a stealth crime that can go unnoticed and undetected for a long time. Unlike
many other crimes, identity theft leaves no obvious evidence that can be immediately identified and
investigated and, in most cases, the victim doesn’t fully realise until long after the damage has already
been done.

If you suspect your wife or partner has been a victim, there are procedures to follow to find out. The
first thing to do would be to gain access to her credit report via a credit reference agency, so that you
can go through it for unfamiliar activity, such as:

 Unfamiliar credit applications

 Credit searches by unfamiliar companies
 Access by landlords or employers that you don’t recognise
 And more.

It is a good idea to check your credit report regularly, to ensure you spot any fraudulent activity early.
There are some warning signs to look out for that all point to identity theft. These can point to other
key areas that can also be further investigated.

Inexplicable credit rebuttal

If you’ve applied for credit and been refused, but you can’t understand why (i.e. you can make the
repayments and haven’t a poor credit history), then this could point to an instance of identity theft.

Bills or reminder letters for accounts you don’t recognise

Just because you don’t recognise a company, credit card or store credit provider if your wife receives
a bill or letter, that doesn’t mean that ‘she’ doesn’t have an agreement with them. Don’t ignore bills
for unfamiliar borrowing as this could be a strong indication that personal details have been
compromised.

Collections agency visits

Sometimes even post can be intercepted for a long time by fraudsters, leaving you with no clue that
her details have been compromised. If a collection agency visits (bailiff), asking for overdue payments
that you don’t know about, this could indicate her personal details have been used fraudulently.

Phone calls from collection agencies

As with visits from the bailiff, collections agencies often perform a series of telephone calls chasing
late payments. Many people ignore telephone calls with unfamiliar numbers, so it is easy to miss
these signs until many months later when an agent turns up on the doorstep. Another vote for regular
credit score checks.

Missing post
Many people simply grumble about late or missing post that they were expecting. Regular
occurrences of missing mail could indicate that someone is intercepting your post. Intercepting mail
and sifting through dustbins is a tried-and-tested way of stealing personal details. Make sure your
mailbox is secure and important documents made completely unreadable before throwing them
away.

Landlord refuses a new tenancy following a credit check

Landlords and potential employers often carry out a credit check before making new contracts. This is
mostly to check if you are likely to default on rent payments. If you’ve had a previously good record
and you get refused a tenancy or new job, this could point to abuse of your credit record.

There are many other ways to tell if your wife or partner has had their identity stolen. It makes sense
to ensure that your identity is as carefully protected as possible in every area of your life. Find out
more about how to protect your family’s identity at Cifas. It is a not-for-profit company that offers
consumers and businesses advice about identity protection and safeguarding against fraud.

Online identity theft can be debilitating for individuals, families and businesses of all sizes. It can cause
anxiety and stress and can ruin reputations. Make sure you’re protected.

https://www.cifas.org.uk/services/identity-protection/victim-of-impersonation