If you believe you've been a victim of identity fraud, you’ll need to act quickly.

You can use your ClearScore report to check for any unrecognised accounts or enquiries.

If you believe there is any incorrect or fraudulent information on your credit report, you can raise a dispute — see our guide to raising a dispute for the steps.

Here are some helpful things to do to minimise any potential loss as a victim of fraud:

• Report the fraud to the police and get a case/incident report no.

• Immediately report any lost or stolen cards or documents to the issuer

• You can also ask the South African Fraud Prevention Services (www.safps.org.za) to place a Protective Registration on your report. This service alerts most lenders to the fraud, so they’ll take extra care when dealing with credit applications in your name.

How to check if someone has taken out credit in your name

The fastest way to check if someone is using my name to borrow money is to read your own credit report line by line. Every registered credit provider in South Africa is required to report accounts and applications to the credit bureaux, so a loan, store card or mobile contract opened in your name will almost always leave a trace on your report - even if you have never received a statement or a call from the lender. Work through the steps below in order.

Step 1: Pull your free credit report and read the accounts section

Sign in to your ClearScore account and open the accounts section of your report. This lists every credit agreement currently reported in your name: personal loans, credit cards, store accounts, vehicle finance, home loans and mobile contracts. Check the lender name, the account opening date, the original amount and the current balance on each one. Anything you cannot place - a lender you have never dealt with, an account opened on a date you can account for, or a balance far higher than you remember - needs investigating.

Step 2: Check the enquiries section for applications you didn't make

Your report also records who has searched your credit file and when. This is where fraud often shows up first, because an application leaves an enquiry even when the lender declines it. A cluster of enquiries from lenders you have never approached, especially several within a few days, is one of the clearest early warnings that someone is applying for credit in your name.

Step 3: Cross-check the personal details listed on your report

Look at the addresses, employers, phone numbers and ID number held against your file. Fraudsters frequently supply a delivery address or contact number they control so that cards, statements and one-time PINs never reach you. An address you have never lived at, or an employer you have never worked for, sitting alongside your genuine details is a strong sign your identity has been used.

Step 4: Remember that one report may not show everything

South Africa has dozens of bureaux registered with the National Credit Regulator, of which Experian, TransUnion, Compuscan and XDS are the main consumer-facing ones, and not every credit provider reports to all of them. An account may appear on one bureau's records and not another's, particularly in the first month or two after it is opened. If you suspect fraud but your report looks clean, request your report from the other bureaux as well. You are entitled to one free credit report from each registered bureau every 12 months under the National Credit Act.

Step 5: Check your SAFPS status

Contact the South African Fraud Prevention Services (www.safps.org.za) to find out whether any Protective Registration or fraud listing already exists against your ID number. In some cases a listing has already been placed because a lender flagged a suspicious application - which tells you an attempt has been made even if no account was successfully opened.

Red flags that usually mean fraud rather than an admin error

• An account with a lender you have never applied to or heard of.

• An address, employer or contact number on your report that has never been yours.

• An account opened during a period you were abroad, in hospital, or otherwise unable to apply.

• A sudden, unexplained drop in your score with no change in your own borrowing behaviour.

• Calls from debt collectors about an agreement you have no record of signing.

• Statements, cards or welcome letters stopping unexpectedly - a sign that contact details have been changed.

An enquiry you don't recognise is not proof of fraud on its own. Some searches are routine: a lender reviewing an account you already hold, an insurer running a check, or an employer with your permission. What matters is the pattern. A single unfamiliar search from a company you have dealt with is usually admin. Several applications for new credit, from lenders you have never contacted, within a short window, is not.

Who to contact and in what order

If someone opened an account in your name, the order in which you make contact matters more than the speed of any single call. Start with the South African Police Service, because the case number they issue is the document every other organisation will ask for. A bank will freeze a card without one, but it will not usually write off a fraudulent debt, and while neither a bureau nor SAFPS is barred by law from acting without one, both routinely ask for a reference to a reported crime before treating an account as fraudulent. Get the case number first, then work down the table.

Keep one file - physical or digital - containing the case number, every reference number issued, the date and name of everyone you speak to, and copies of all correspondence. Fraud cases are rarely resolved in a single call, and the organisations involved do not share records with one another. Your own paper trail is what moves the matter forward.

If you have lost a physical card or had documents stolen, report it to the issuer before you do anything else, then follow the same sequence. A lost card on its own is not usually enough to open an account, but combined with an ID number or proof of address it becomes a far more serious exposure.

What fraud does to your credit score - and how long recovery takes

Fraudulent accounts damage your score in the same way genuine mismanaged accounts do, because the bureaux cannot tell the difference until you tell them. The account is reported as yours, so its missed payments, its balance and its enquiries all feed into your score. Missed payments are the single biggest killer of credit scores, and a fraudster has no reason to pay. Add a high balance pushing up your overall utilisation, plus a run of applications generating enquiries, and a score can fall sharply - often by a whole band or more - within a few months of the account being opened.

Can errors on a credit report be reversed?

Yes. Under the National Credit Act, you have the right to dispute any information held about you, and the bureau must investigate. If the entry cannot be verified as accurate, it must be removed or corrected - and it is removed entirely, not merely marked as disputed. This applies to the account itself, the payment history attached to it, and any enquiry linked to the fraudulent application. Where a fraudulent entry is confirmed and removed, it should no longer appear on your file, though outcomes and timings can vary between bureaux.

How long the investigation takes

A bureau generally has 20 business days to investigate a disputed entry and report back. During that window the listing is flagged as under dispute, which means a lender assessing a new application should see that the entry is contested. Under National Credit Regulator guidance, once a complete dispute is lodged the bureau must mask the challenged information and stop reporting it while the investigation runs. That is the frustrating middle stage: you know the account isn't yours, the bureau is checking, and your score still reflects the damage.

What happens to your score after removal

Once the entry is removed, the negative data it carried stops counting against you and your score is recalculated at the next update. Many people see a recovery within one to two monthly cycles, though this varies. It does not always bounce back to the exact number you had before, and there are two common reasons. First, if the fraudulent account was open for a long time, other parts of your profile may have shifted in the meantime. Second, removal by one bureau does not automatically remove the entry from the others - you may need to run the same dispute with each bureau reporting the account.

Realistic recovery timelines

Advice about raising a credit score in 30 days is written for people with genuine accounts they can pay down or bring up to date. It does not apply to fraud, because the problem is not your behaviour - it is data that should not be on your file. Your timeline is set by the dispute process, not by your own repayments. A straightforward case with a clear SAPS case number and a cooperative lender can be resolved and reflected within six to ten weeks. A contested case, or one involving several accounts across multiple bureaux, can take several months.

Once the fraudulent data is gone, the ordinary rules apply again. Building from a low score to a stronger one - the move from Let's start climbing (0-598) towards Soaring high (658-740) that many people ask about - can take twelve months or more of consistently paid accounts, low utilisation and few applications, and no increase is guaranteed. The difference for a fraud victim is that you are not starting from zero: you are returning to the profile you already had.

If a default or judgment has already been listed

A default or a judgment obtained on a fraudulent account is serious but reversible. Report it as part of the same fraud dispute, supported by your SAPS case number and your SAFPS listing. Where a judgment has been granted, you will usually need the credit provider to consent to the judgment being rescinded, after which the bureau removes the record. This is the slowest branch of the process and the one where the Credit Ombud or National Financial Ombud is most worth involving if the lender resists.

Identity fraud: common questions

Am I liable for debt taken out fraudulently in my name?

No. If you did not enter into the credit agreement, you are not the debtor, and a credit provider cannot lawfully hold you to an agreement you never made. In practice you have to prove it, which is why the SAPS case number, the SAFPS listing and a documented dispute with the bureau matter so much. Never make a payment towards a fraudulent account to make collection calls stop - a payment can be read as acknowledgement of the debt.

I've lost my physical card - is that enough for someone to open an account?

A card on its own is usually not enough to open a new credit agreement, because lenders require an ID number, proof of address and income verification. It is more than enough to make fraudulent transactions on the existing account, so report it to your issuer immediately. The greater risk is when a card is lost alongside a wallet containing your ID document or proof of address - that combination gives a fraudster the building blocks of a full application.

Does a Protective Registration make it harder for me to get credit myself?

It adds a step rather than a block. Member lenders are alerted to verify the applicant's identity more carefully before approving anything in your name, so your own applications may take longer and you may be asked for additional documentation. It does not lower your score and it is not a negative listing. For most people who have been defrauded, the extra friction is a fair trade for the protection.

How much does a SAFPS Protective Registration cost and how long does it last?

The service is free to consumers. You apply directly to SAFPS with a certified copy of your ID, proof of address and a completed application form; a SAPS case number is strongly recommended for impersonation cases but is not demanded in every instance. The registration remains in place until you ask for it to be removed, and you can request removal at any time once you are satisfied the risk has passed.

How did the fraudster get my ID number in the first place?

Most commonly through a data breach at a company you dealt with, a phishing message or fake job advert that harvested your documents, a stolen or copied ID document, or documents discarded without shredding. Copies of your ID handed over for routine verification - at a gym, a rental agency or an online store - also circulate more widely than most people expect. You will not always be able to identify the source, and you do not need to in order to dispute the account.

Can I be blacklisted because of fraud I didn't commit?

There is no single blacklist in South Africa, but a fraudulent account with missed payments or a default will appear on your credit report and lenders will decline you on the strength of it. That is why it feels like being blacklisted. Once the entry is disputed and removed, the adverse listing goes with it and lenders assessing you afterwards see no trace of it.

Do I need to report it to every bureau separately?

Yes, if the account appears on more than one. The bureaux are separate commercial organisations and do not automatically pass disputes between themselves. Removal by one does not guarantee removal by another. Check your report at each registered bureau and lodge a dispute wherever the fraudulent entry appears, quoting the same case number each time.

What if the fraud was committed by someone I know?

The process is identical, including the police report. Fraud by a family member, partner or colleague is common and often harder to act on because reporting it has personal consequences. Without a SAPS case number, however, most lenders and bureaux will not treat the account as fraudulent, and the debt stays attached to your name. A police report is often important evidence when disputing fraud. If you cannot report the matter - for example for safety or personal reasons - ask the lender, credit bureau, SAFPS or an appropriate ombud what alternative evidence they can consider, and seek independent legal or consumer-support advice.

How do I stop it happening again?

Check your credit report regularly rather than only when something feels wrong - most fraud is caught in the enquiries section before it becomes a default. Keep a Protective Registration in place, shred documents containing your ID number, never send certified ID copies over unsecured channels, and treat unsolicited calls or messages asking to verify your details as suspicious until proven otherwise. Watermark any ID copy you must supply with the date and purpose so it cannot easily be reused elsewhere.