Identity theft costs the UK economy �1.7bn a year and affects more than 100,000 people annually, the government has estimated.

The National Consumer Council says victims often receive little help and that a national ID theft support centre is needed.

Have you had your identity stolen? What were the consequences?

Did you get any assistance to sort out the problem or did you have to resolve things on your own?

Do you think the UK needs a one-stop shop to help victims of identity theft?

We asked for your views, a selection of which are published below. This debate is now closed.

To invest money I have to have an array of documents to prove my identity to those who know me. It seems that anyone who wants to borrow money can do so without being questioned. Why such a discrepancy? Perhaps a little attention from the banks or the FSA?
Peter Mellor, Felixstowe

Mr Munroe's excuse that Equifax deals with millions of transactions is very weak Crispin A Shorter, Needham Market, Suffolk

The fact that Equifax's IT system actually allowed two dates of birth to be recorded is an illustration of sloppy programming which should long ago have been picked up and corrected. As a former systems analyst/programmer on the ICC Banking Commission's Far East seminars on Documentary Credits and Fraud my belief is that the data-input system should be so programmed that it does not permit two different dates of birth and it should not allow the one date of birth originally entered to be altered. In practical terms an operator wanting to change specified data-fields should have to refer up for authorization to amend. This builds in the responsibility of specified individuals to undertake checks before giving authorization for any changes in essential data. Mr Munroe's excuse that Equifax deals with millions of transactions is very weak. The number of amendments is likely to be insignificant. The fact that the system did not provide for this renders them, in my opinion, a sitting target for a compensation claim from Robert.
Crispin A Shorter, Needham Market, Suffolk

The problem seems to revolve around the fact that banks and financial institutions have over the past few years transferred the onus onto the client to protect breakdowns in their security systems. Surely it should be possible to sue the credit reference agencies when they publish inaccurate and defamatory information?
Peter, Ronda, Malaga

Are the credit reference agencies as helpful as they tried to imply in your programme? Possibly not. I have just looked at their websites and they concentrate on their premium services; two out of three make it quite difficult to navigate to an order for the statutory information. All three say that the statutory information will only be provided by post and will take up to seven days. Clearly they are only meeting the minimum statutory requirements in the hope that worried consumers will pay more for the faster (in most cases immediate) online service. Surely there is a need for a small change in the law to require the credit references agencies to make the statutory information available immediately online?
Peter Rose, Hove

Back in October 2005, someone tried to fraudulently open a credit card in my name. The card company put a category two CIFAS warning on my credit history. I am now trying to open a joint current account with my current bank but it is refusing it on the grounds there is a CIFAS warning on my credit history. They don't seam to understand what a CIFAS warning is. The fact it is a category two means I have been the victim of fraud, not that I am the perpetrator.
Michael Hill

[The agencies] seem to have been given immense power but with absolutely no responsibility David Helliwell, Cumbria

Why are the credit reference companies not held accountable for the information they supply to others? If they are supplying incorrect information about an individual, which results in either financial loss or loss of reputation, surely this should count as libel, and it should be possible to take them to court? They seem to have been given immense power, and essentially a licence to print money, but with absolutely no responsibility.
David Helliwell, Cumbria

My identity was not stolen but the credit reference agency copy-typed an electoral roll incorrectly and gave me a change of name on my record which led to credit being refused. I had the cost and trouble of paying for a copy of their error and to obtain a certified copy from the electoral registration officer to show that the reference agency had made the mistake. There is no provision for forcing these irresponsible organisations to correct their own mistakes, whilst if an individual makes a far less serious mistake they suffer inappropriate consequences.
David Pearson, Banbury

It was a useful programme but it did not deal with the issue of obtaining financial redress Richard, Yately

Nothing really effective will be done about the consumer consequences of credit fraud until it starts to cost the lenders and the credit reference agencies serious money for making mistakes, especially where they are negligent. It was a useful programme but I'm sorry it did not deal with the issue of obtaining financial redress. The programme should have pressed this issue. The victim has a case in law, both for defamation of character, and the consequential financial losses arising from both sorting it out, and the costs and inconvenience to the victim, given as over �2,000 to the programme's victim.
Richard, Yately

The banks cause most of this trouble by consistently asking for the same information such as date of birth, mother's maiden name, place of birth and so on, all potentially known to others or obtainable. It is made worse by utilities and others all wanting this information for telephone access and so it ends up on hundreds of databases. To add insult to injury they say it is for your protection. Rubbish, it is for their benefit.

I have been defrauded by an identity thief who had a bank account and could have been caught. The banking system gave no help. The police took the details and did nothing. We need decent rights for honest people, with instant enforcement from the authorities, but I won't hold my breath.
A Grady, High Wycombe

I had to devote days of time to convincing people that these accounts were not opened by someone with my surname living at my house D McLennan, West Byfleet

Someone used my surname with a different first name and my address to open multiple mobile phone accounts. The police were not interested, more surprisingly the mobile phone companies were not interested and left these accounts open for months after I informed them of the issue, sending dozens of late payment notices to myself. This is not a victimless crime. I had to devote days of time to convincing people that these accounts were not opened by someone with my surname living at my house and had to pay to join a credit reference agency so that I could actively manage my credit record. In short, a time-consuming nightmare where neither UK law enforcement or the companies being defrauded had any interest in helping sort out the situation.
D McLennan, West Byfleet

Banks and other financial institutions should be less eager to give credit Andrew, Manchester

I was mugged four years ago and had my passport stolen. I have lived in the US for the last four years and since that point there have been three or four occasions when letters from debt collectors have gone to my parent's house demanding payment for loans I have supposedly taken out. If this was viewed as a real problem by the government, police, banks and so on, then there are numerous ways to deal with it. One loan was for a kitchen delivered to an address in Leeds. Instead of the bailiffs threatening to come to my parents house in Manchester, why don't they go and take back the kitchen that was installed somewhere in Leeds? My credit report now has this Leeds address listed several times. The police were told but nothing was done. To stop this happening in the first place, banks and other financial institutions should be less eager to give credit. Simple checks will verify if the person applying for the �8,000 is me.
Andrew, Manchester

Excellent programme on identity theft. I think there is a simple solution which is crying out for implementation. Each of the credit reference companies should have the facility for a small payment for an individual having proven his identity through his bank to place a password-protected-stop on any borrowing under his or her name. Then if he or she wishes to borrow in addition to giving all the details of their identity, they will also have to tender the password logged with the agency. Without the password, no borrowing could be achieved. If a lender goes ahead and lends money without making a credit check, they should be denied the right to sue through the courts.
Ian Hayes, Pinner

I agree people should be informed if their credit record is marked. And for free! My mortgage provider lost my first payment on my new mortgage and immediately marked my credit record. I found out only by chance when I applied for a new bank account and got it put right, but there was barely an apology from the provider.
John Ledbury, Wisbech

It took a year and �8 in fees for reports to get the reference agency to correct my report Carole Llewellyn

I remortgaged my house and was asked on the application form for my maiden name, a name I have not used since I married my husband in 1962. On requesting my credit report, I was surprised to see under the heading "aliases" a number of names I have never used. My new mortgage company wrote to the reference agency to correct this. It took many letters, all to no avail, so I informed the Information Commissioner and it still took a year and �8 in fees for reports to get the reference agency to correct my report and there is still one error on it. The same information was provided to another agency and they show no aliases so how did the first one get it so wrong?
Carole Llewellyn

It would make identify theft far more difficult if every lender had to write to the prospective borrower at the given address to get his agreement to any loan. This way anyone who stole someone else's address would be spotted straightaway. If they used a false address then it should be easier for the lender to spot the fraud and distinguish between fraudster and genuine applicant. This would be so simple to implement I wonder if I have missed something.
Colin Jex, Arnsdale

There needs to be one place where the consumer can go to recover their identity Julian Evans, Peterborough

Unfortunately, awareness on how to prevent ID theft is very light on the ground. Most news concentrates on the victims' stories, but prevention is what is needed. It is in fact very easy to protect your credit history, your good name and your computer identity. I do agree on one thing though - there needs to be one place where the consumer can go to recover their identity. Currently this does not exist in the UK. However plans are afoot to create the US equivalent of the ID Theft Assistance Centre. If set up here in the UK this will only be able to work with member companies. So if a loan company is chasing you for payment and is not a member of the assistance centre, it will be just as difficult to clear your name as before. It is a start though.
Julian Evans, ID theft expert, Peterborough

I still get credit applications in the name of the two previous owners of my house. No doubt they still have sufficient documentation to take out credit at my address. My biggest worry is that every credit reference agency I have phoned trying to prevent bailiffs turning up at my door says they cannot do anything because of the Data Protection Act. Conversely, if I was criminally-minded, the information I have received about previous owners would enable me to fraudulently obtain credit. I hope the new owners of my previous homes are as honest.
Damon, Essex

The real problem is the fanatical attempts of credit companies to link us with our pasts. Were this not so, having one's name used to borrow money would not be such a big deal. I recently tried to open a current account for a business I am setting up, and was refused, not because of my identity being stolen, not because of my having defaulted on a debt, but because I was a few weeks late paying an electricity bill. Even though I paid the bill in full, the electricity company registered me as a bad debtor. Were it not for an endless past haunting one, there would not only be less of a consequence to someone borrowing money under a fraudulent name, but petty mistakes like mine would not obstruct one's future.
Greg Johnson, Sheffield

As identity fraud has such an ongoing effect on credit histories, I wonder if the insurance offered by specialist companies protecting the theft, loss or misuse of cards - and which now can cover identity fraud - can adequately cover its consequences?
Alaric Cotter, Guildford

The credit reference companies might sit up and take notice if they are challenged legally for defamation or libel. They know that if someone needs credit, that person is unlikely to pursue a legal case against them for incorrect and damaging information which is not corrected; so the problem is perpetuated.
Brian

The protective registration scheme is a great idea, requiring further identity checks on those trying to obtain a loan under the specified identity. But why should the �11.75 charge be annual? Once input, the small amount of data doesn't cost much to store. After all, registration helps the industry avoid write-off's too.
Paul, Cambridge

The system lets us down after the fraudsters have robbed us of our identify and good name Mairin Power, London

A few months ago I tried to transfer my credit card to another 0% card but was rejected. At the same time my partner and I tried to remortgage but were turned down. It transpires that the theft of my partner's ID and the subsequent use of his details to obtain credit were recorded on his credit history. As a "financial associate" my credit is "associated" with his. To compound the problem, I cannot be informed of my partner's credit history or why I have been refused credit as the negative credit is against him and not me. It really is true that victims are victims in every sense of the word. The system lets us down after the fraudsters have robbed us of our identify and good name.
Mairin Power, London

Why do credit reference agencies go out of their way to make it difficult to obtain statutory reports rather than their more expensive services, or have I just answered my own question? Why should I have to pay anyway, after all it is my information.
John Smout, Llanidloes

The application had been completed at a major airport Alan Reddrop, Portishead

My son may recently have thwarted an attempt to steal his identity and defraud a credit card company. He received a letter telling him that his request for a credit card had been refused, but he had made no application for one. He wrote back to say that and to point out that they had mis-spelled his surname. The reply merely apologised for mis-spelling his surname and stated that the application had been completed at a major airport - which my son has never visited. Despite repeated requests they refused to send him a copy of the application. This seems to be a breach of Data Protection legislation; they hold personal data about him which is likely to be incorrect, but he is not being given the opportunity to correct it. They also seem to be adopting a very casual stance about it. Is it any wonder that this type of fraud is rampant?
Alan Reddrop, Portishead

There is no such thing as identity theft. There is fraud, where criminals are defrauding banks and financial institutions using the names of law-abiding customers. A law-abiding customer should be able to sue any bank or credit agency which passes on false information about them, even if such information is caused by a third criminal party. The onus is firmly on the credit agency to verify all data obtained. The convenient concept of identity theft has been invented by financial institutions to excuse themselves for passing on false information.
Phillip, Redhill

I was always under the impression that credit reference agencies shared information but obviously not Malcolm Johnson, Newcastle, Staffs

I subscribe to Experian's service which allows me to check my credit report online. Recently, I applied for a loan and checked my report to see if the lender had requested info about me. I was surprised to find that I had supposedly applied for a balance transfer to my credit card. I had also it seems applied for a new credit card from the same people. I then received a letter from the Post Office confirming that I had asked them to hold my post for a month. I rang the Post Office to tell them I did not want my post held, but they said they needed a letter with proof of my identity. The card company was very good. It cancelled the fraudulent card and put an alert on my credit file to warn lenders that I was a victim of identity theft. The police and post office were co-operating in the hope that whoever had intended to collect my post would do so but no-one ever turned up. I thought I had been lucky and that the problem had been discovered in time until I heard the programme. I was always under the impression that credit reference agencies shared information but obviously not.
Malcolm Johnson, Newcastle, Staffs

We had our current bank account "phished" last winter. Fortunately the bank noticed it and contacted us within a few hours.

I now have no faith in its security systems Tim Southwood, Nailsea

It gave us an interest-free overdraft, but the downside was that our debit card had to be stopped as a precaution! Luckily, I was able to draw cash at the Post Office.

The downside was that we had to have a new account and the bank admitted that it was not our fault which worries me since I now have no faith in its security systems!
Tim Southwood, Nailsea

I have recently had a credit card I was expecting intercepted, and this was only discovered when the person rang up the company claiming to be me and tried to activate the card.

In spite of not knowing any of my personal details or password, he was allowed to set up a new password and the card would have been activated except the call centre employee became suspicious and called me to check if he had spoken to the right person.

Surely a better system can be put in place to stop this sort of thing from happening? Michael Hughes, London

Fortunately this was averted in time, but when I asked the company for details of the courier company and delivery dates so I could investigate further, they said I would only come up against "several brick walls" and I would be better not to waste my time.

I feel like contacting the police, but am not sure they would be interested, or even if a crime was actually committed.

The company have agreed I can pick up a replacement card from a branch, but this is a cumbersome process. Surely a better system can be put in place to stop this sort of thing from happening?
Michael Hughes, London

I do not believe the government is serious about solving this issue unless it becomes a big one, as it seems to have bigger issues in front of it.
Ali

One problem is banks do appear to telephone and ask for information. A quick poll around the office identified three cases where a bank/credit card company has called asking for personal information. In no case was the information given.

One of these was contacting the real cardholder when misuse of a credit card was suspected.

We also found several suspected fraudulent calls had been received.

We are all graduates, working in the electronics industry and are well aware of the issues. If we can't distinguish the calls how can anyone less aware!

Banks need to make clear how they will verify a customer's identity when calling them!
Mike, Cambridge

The comments we publish are not necessarily the views of the BBC but will reflect the balance of views we have received. It is helpful if contributors state if they work for any organisation relevant to an issue discussed. Readers should form their own views on whether messages published represent undeclared interests, or views prompted by a common source.