Found an online credit file checker at www.checkmyfile.com wondered if anyone has heard or used it, wondered if it needs checking out incase it 'sells' info you need to supply ect, ect. Stacey

-- stacey (spatten@ic24.net), April 02, 2001

Answers

Well I'd not heard of it until I went there, and registered (with permission!) using my husband's details. I can get information on the area where I live, but no actual credit details - you have to pay almost £10 for your credit file - details of which you can get for £2 from the credit reference agencies. The checkmyfile.com people send a "key" to you by snail mail for you to enter and check your file online.

Possible security problems here - I could have used my husband's name and his mother's address, but would their systems pick up that I'd used a different address, or would the key be sent to the address on the electoral roll, regardless of what address I'd registered with?

I could have also used someone else's name and my address to get access to their file, in theory - I'm not going to risk trying this!! The website say that they don't use your information, but I wouldn't trust them on this, but they do take a note of your IP address, so if you try registering again with different details, they will pick it up if they go looking.

I am going to bring the website to the attention of the data protection people and see what they say.

-- pendle (pendle@amun-ra.demon.co.uk), April 02, 2001.

I *really* don't like the sound of this site. Too many security loopholes as Pendle says and how will they survive financially if they are not selling the data somehow? Deeply suspicious here.

-- Too scared to say (iwasduped@yahoo.com), April 02, 2001.

Yes, that's what I thought! Very suspicious indeed. Stacey

-- Stacey (spatten@ic24.net), April 03, 2001.

If you've got to pay nearly ten pounds for this 'service', then pay the whole tenner and serve a SARN on Experian or Equifax! (Preferably both.)

-- Eleanor Scott (eleanor.scott@btinternet.com), April 04, 2001.

I too have been onto this website, and all the stuff it says, ie:creditcheck, etc, is crap, I paid for my credit file from them over the web, and got the print out, It didn't tell sod all,according to them, I have A1 credit, but I wrote to equifax, and I have impaired credit, which I already knew about when I looked it up on the checkmyfile website.

-- Janey (janecne@fsmail.net), August 02, 2002.