Get help If you still can’t work out what’s going on, get expert help. Organisations offering free financial advice include Citizens’ Advice (www.citizensadvice.org.uk), the Consumer Credit Counselling Service (www.cccs.co.uk) and National Debtline (www.nationaldebtline.co.uk). Take precautions If you have been caught out by unexpected debts, you may have no option but to repay them – but you can at least learn from the experience. In future:

• Don’t ignore requests for payment from organisations you don’t recognise – contact them to find out what the demand refers to. If you do owe money, make sure you pay it.
• Shred sensitive documents, such as bank and credit card statements, before you bin them. Even a catalogue form that has been sent filled in with your details can be enough for an identity thief to strike.
• Redirect your post for at least a year when you move home, contact the Mailing Preference Service and ask to be struck off the marketing lists that generate unsolicited direct mailshots and always notify the Post office if your mail goes missing. Someone could intercept or redirect your post if you aren’t vigilant.
• Register to vote at your current address. Lenders use the electoral roll to verify your identity – if you aren’t registered, a criminal could impersonate you at a different address.
• Divorce your finances when you split up with a partner. This may mean closing down some accounts and reallocating debts between yourselves. Always tell lenders, utilities providers, mobile phone companies and anyone else who might have an account in your joint names. When you’ve completed the financial separation, tell Experian, who will remove your former partner’s name from your credit history.
• Check your credit report regularly to ensure that it is up to date and accurately reflects your circumstances – You can see your Experian credit report for free with a 30-day trial of CreditExpert, the UK’s leading online credit monitoring and identity fraud protection service