How to protect your credit profile after identity theft

Identity theft does not end when you change a password or cancel a card. If someone used your personal details to apply for credit, the damage can reach your credit report, where fraudulent information may appear as part of your financial history until you challenge it.

Once identity fraud touches your credit profile, treat the clean-up as a paper trail. Find the information that does not belong to you, document each dispute and follow the process until you receive an outcome.

Check what appears on your credit report

Start with your credit report and read each entry carefully. Mark any account, credit agreement, default or other information you do not recognise, then gather documents that support your dispute.

Write down when you found the entry, which credit provider is involved and every reference number you receive. A clear record becomes important if the dispute needs to go beyond the credit bureau.

Identity theft can leave a credit trail that looks like yours even when you never opened the account. Treat every unfamiliar entry as something to verify, document and challenge, not as a debt you automatically accept.

Challenge fraudulent information with the credit bureau

South African law gives you the right to challenge inaccurate credit information without charge. The National Credit Regulator’s guidance for disputed credit information explains that a bureau can request identification, proof of address and documents that support the dispute. Once a complete dispute is received, the bureau must mask the challenged information within five business days and complete the dispute process within 20 business days.

If credible evidence supports the entry, the bureau can retain it. If credible evidence cannot support it, the information must be corrected or removed. If you are dissatisfied with the outcome, you may submit the dispute to the NCR within 20 business days, with the bureau reference number and relevant records.

Secure the accounts linked to your identity

Correcting your credit report is one step. If the theft involved an email, banking profile or another online account, reset the affected credentials directly with the provider and review the recovery details linked to the account.

Extra sign-in protection can reduce the damage caused by stolen passwords. Using passkeys and two-factor authentication places another check between a stolen password and account access.

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An incorrect entry does not become yours because it appears on a credit report. Save the evidence, record every reference number and follow each dispute through to the outcome. Your credit profile should reflect your own financial history, not somebody else’s fraud.

Fraudulent credit information should not become part of your financial history. Challenge every incorrect entry, save the paperwork and follow the outcome. A credit report should reflect your own borrowing and repayment history, not debt created through identity theft.

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