Have I been a victim of identity theft?

[Monkey987]

Aibu to worry about my credit score?

So I always assumed I had a 'good' credit score so was surprised when I checked recently before booking a mortgage in principle appointment with my bank that actually my credit score is low. Around 550.

I have never had any debt (except car repayments) but also very little credit/contracts to boost my score.

For a bit of background I am a care leaver with no family to rely on, got a council flat at 18 and have been very careful/worried with my money. Never had a phone contract etc. I've always saved for things and paid outright.

I've been sensible, went to uni, now earn nearly £50000 a year at 28. Have been paying car finance reliably for 2 years. Have paid all utility bills monthly/ on time for 8 years. So stupidly assumed I would have good credit.

Apparently not. I've taken out a credit card to boost my score which I'm paying back monthly via direct debit.

What else am I doing wrong?

A friend of mine said it sounds like I've been a victim of fraud. I'm now freaked out and have no one in real life to ask.

Aibu to worry?
How long will it take me to boost my score with a credit card?

That's nice to hear. I'm completely the same with my mum.

I completely forgive her and don't blame her.
I still lend her money but she pays it back cos we still have a funny awkward relationship where she knows she has to be be nice ish to me to get me to reply.

I'm in the mortgage industry. You need a mortgage broker. Don't go straight to your bank; they can only offer you their own products and there'll almost certainly be a cheaper rate elsewhere.

I wouldn't advise taking out credit now; it won't help if you are close to applying. Check My File is the best place to check your history as it has 3 credit score companies on the same report. I had one that only showed on one of the 3.

If you haven't borrowed and paid back a lot then your score will be lower. Being careful is not what makes the banks their money is it, unfortunately. So it's a bit of a scam in itself to encourage people to take credit when they don't really need to. If you do need to then...yeah, not so easy.
If your bank accounts haven't been tampered with/ no money stolen I don't think it's identity fraud. Have you had weird bills coming to your home or anything? I think you can contact the credit agencies to get more details about this stuff/ your score but I reckon they might want payment.

Maxxing out on a new credit card is unlikely to increase your score; it's about managing debt and living within your means, not just creating a big debt and paying it off. When you have successfully serviced a mortgage for two or three years your credit score will increase.

Sorry I haven’t been able to read the whole thread but I used to be an admin assistant for a broker so these are what they used to suggest to help-
Try not to have too many bank accounts open if you don’t use them - starling - monzo for example
Having credit is good but they don’t want you using it all up. So if you have a 4k limit, don’t max it out, the more available credit you have the better
Check your report to make sure there’s no old phone/ utility bills etc that have defaulted. We had a few customers who thought they had closed their phone contract years ago but hadn’t and it was showing them owing money. They managed to speak to the company and get it removed but it took a month or so to come off the report.
Having a broker will really help you as they will get you the best deals and organise everything for you.

Despite having an excellent credit score on two companies my bank won't give me a credit card. I can't make head nor tail of it.

@Densol57 has given the best answer so far OP. You need to check your credit file not just your credit score.

There's a website called checkmyfile. You can sign up for month's free trial. It will show any and all credit you've ever had, the payments you've made and what might be bringing your score down.

I do everything 'right', no missed payments etc but score is 'lower' than it could be because of the electoral roll. There was a problem with our address and it affected my score. Absolutely nothing to do with something I'd done and no identity fraud.

I found the website after a mortgage broker suggested checking it. It's really really interesting and I hope it puts your mind at ease.