What Does A Fraudulent Enquiry Mean?

A fraudulent enquiry means that someone is trying to illegally obtain information about you or your company. This could be for identity theft, financial gain, or other malicious reasons. If you suspect that you are receiving fraudulent enquiries, it’s important to understand what it all means.

What is a fraudulent enquiry?

A fraudulent enquiry on your credit report in Australia refers to an unauthorized credit check made without your consent, often as a result of identity theft or credit fraud. These enquiries can negatively impact your credit score and make it difficult to obtain loans, credit cards, or mortgages.

Identity fraud

Identity fraud occurs when someone takes your personal information, such as your name, driver’s license number, or birth data. This information is typically stolen by criminals to steal money or obtain other benefits (such as a mortgage, a passport, or a new phone account) by impersonating someone else. Identity thieves may also use their knowledge of you to commit crimes in your name. Ensure you learn how to protect yourself from identity theft.

Once an identity thief has access to your personal data, they may set up a new credit card account in your name. When the criminal makes purchases on the cards and doesn’t pay the bills, bad information can be placed on your credit report and hurt your credit score or prevent you from getting future credit. They may set up a bank account in your name or establish phony debit cards to use to drain funds from existing bank accounts. Set up a phone service, wireless internet connection, or other utility service in your name.

Addressing a fraudulent enquiry on your credit report

1. Request a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit reporting bodies in Australia: Equifax, Experian, and Illion.
2. Review your report carefully to identify any unauthorized or suspicious enquiries.
3. Consider contacting a credit repair company like Clear Credit Solutions or, file a dispute directly with the credit reporting company (Equifax, Illion, Experian). You can do this by calling us at 1300 789 783 or using the credit reporting companies website to lodge the dispute directly. Be advised, if you lodge a dispute directly with the credit reporting agency, you cannot engage our services to help you fix and remove fraudulent enquiries.
4. Consider placing a ban on your consumer credit report with all three credit reporting bodies. This ban prevents the use or disclosure of your credit information for 21 days, which can be extended if necessary.
5. If you suspect identity theft, report it to the police and consider freezing your credit report to prevent further unauthorized access.
6. Monitor your credit report regularly to ensure the fraudulent enquiry has been removed and to detect any future unauthorized activity.

Keep a close eye on your financial records and credit report to see if you’ve been a victim of ID theft. If you notice an unusual transaction, investigate further, regardless of how little the payment is. Remember that anyone may be a victim of identity theft.