An Unsolicited Credit Card

[tiredoftheBS]

I've come home tonight to two envelopes addressed to me. One a credit card, the other it's pin. For context, I live in a rental property (have been here for 4 years) and there's a post box outside with a key. I've now taped the box up and asked that all post go back to the office where I'll collect it. I know a previous tenant has a fraud background my landlord told me to be vigilant which I have.

I've checked my credit score accounts and there's nothing on there to indicate a new credit file or search..... I'm tempting to still apply for a protective registration with CIFAS but unsure. Is there anything else I should be doing? And has this happened to anyone else and been a completely innocent administrative error?

also, landlord reassured me that the lock on the post box had been changed....

Call the credit card and report it. Also report it to equifax etc.

Maybe The police too.

The danger is that a balance will have been transferred to the card before it even dropped through your door. Straight onto the fraud team at the card issuer!

An innocent administrative error? From card provider you've had not contact with? Definitely not. You need to contact the card issuer immediately (and probably the fraud team)

If that has happened, would I be liable??

The card has been cancelled, I've informed Action Fraud and put a Protective Registration Service on my record via CIFAS... im not going to sleep a wink, I feel sick!

@tiredoftheBS if it's a standard postbox you don't really need the key, any key pushed in just slightly can be jiggled to open it. My neighbours lost their key so when I'm housesitting they said to do that, I've used the house key, shed key, padlock key, they all open it.

No, but it’s a known criminal scam. They plant someone somewhere to get personal details (eg a call centre for a bank), use those details to take out credit cards, do a balance transfer before it lands on the supposed customer’s front door and accept it will the be cancelled.

I've checked checkmyfile, clearscore, and Experian. It would appear that on the same day, three applications were attempted. The one that resulted in a credit card arriving (Aquis Bank), and two others, one with HSBC and another with M&S Bank. None have resulted in a 'hard search' being recorded.

The M&S application was evidently unsuccessful as they've placed a fraud warning on my report with CIFAS. That warning shows up on all of the credit record accounts (one references both M&S and HSBC but I know they're associated in some way.

This is so stressful, how do I find put if the HSBC application was successful? I do think they were separate applications as it states on checkmyfile that 3 applications have been made. I tried to call HSBC tonight but it was the out of hours number and they were confused with what I was asking.

Should I just wait to see if something arrives in the post or turns up on my credit report?

Its currently only showing on one of the above credit score agencies and it's showing as an 'application search'

Anxiety is through the roof.

My brother had something similar with mobile phone contracts, hope you get it sorted

HSBC emergency line doesn't have out of hours - it's a 24hour helpline. I can't remember the number but it's easy to find on Google. I would try that one so at least you'll know you've done all you can for tonight.

Thank you!!

I tried a couple of different numbers and eventually got through to someone! Thankfully no accounts with HSBC!!

What a drama!

It happens from time to time, it's just companies phishing so nothing to.br concerned about. Cut it up and forget about it.