Vulnerable Consumer Support
At Equifax, we understand that for a variety of reasons such as health, financial, life events or personal circumstances anyone can experience vulnerability and need some additional help. If you find yourself in a situation where you need help, we are here to support you.
We aim to provide an inclusive service provision for all our consumers. This means we provide a flexible approach that is respectful of each individual regardless of their personal circumstances, where everyone is treated fairly. Subjects covered here include:
- Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Vulnerability Framework
- Getting help if you need support
- Coronavirus – additional help and support
- Gambling problems and getting credit
- Accessing Equifax services in alternative formats
- Safeguarding yourself and family against scams
- Dealing with the death of a friend or loved one
- Arranging for other people to talk to us on your behalf
- Problems getting credit
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Vulnerability Framework
We have adopted the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Vulnerability Framework to help provide you with the support you need. The four areas of the framework include:
Health
If your ability to carry out day to day activity is
limited
because of health conditions or illness.
Financial Resilience
If you would be in financial difficulties
if
interest rates increased or your income was reduced.
Financial Capability
If you have problems managing your
finances or
don’t know what steps you need to take to improve your financial situation.
Life Events
If you are currently experiencing or have
experienced a
life changing event in the last 12 months e.g. a death of a loved one, loss of a job
etc.
Getting help if you need support
Sometimes it can be difficult to find the information you need to help you. The Equifax Knowledge Centre has articles, videos and other guides to allow you to do some research in your own time and understand the options available to you. We have listed our more common queries below.
Coronavirus – additional help and support
We have put together a number of FAQ’s to provide some specific help and support for those experiencing financial difficulty as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. These explain what payment holidays are, what this means to your Equifax Credit Score and how it will be reported on your Equifax Credit Report.
Gambling problems and getting credit
If you or a loved one find yourselves in financial distress due to gambling issues, there are steps you can take to regain control of your finances and organisations that will provide help and support to get you back on your feet. For more information read:
Accessing Equifax services in alternative formats
Living with a disability whether visible or invisible is a permanent situation for many of the UK population. We want to ensure that we are supporting you effectively by providing alternative ways for you to contact and communicate with us, such as offering Next Generation Text as an alternative way to talk to us and alternative format credit reports, such as Braille, Large Print and Audio for those who need this service.
- Can I get my credit report in a different format
- I am profoundly deaf how can you support me
- I am blind/partially sighted how can you support me
- I am registered disabled how can you support me
Safeguarding yourself and family against scams
The UK’s National Trading Standards (NTS) organisation is keen to raise awareness about scams and how they can impact the lives of many vulnerable people. The Equifax Knowledge Centre has lots of information in the Identity Protection section on how to protect yourself and family from this type of fraud. We have also provided an external link to the NTS Friends against Scams website at the top of this page.
- Elderly people and scams
- Protect yourself from becoming a victim of SMS phishing
- How to spot phishing phone scams
- How to spot phishing emails
Dealing with the death of a friend or loved one
Our Knowledge Centre has articles that you can read to help you reduce the stress in dealing with companies that have to be informed that someone has passed away.
- Registering a death
- Closing down a bank account after a death
- Who inherits money and property if someone dies without a will?
- What is Inheritance Tax?
Arranging for other people to talk to us on your behalf
Sometimes it is easier to have someone you know and trust to talk on your behalf. If you think you may need help now and in the future, it might be worth looking at setting up a Lasting Power of Attorney. This article tells you about how to set one up and tell Equifax about the arrangements, if you need to.
Problems getting credit
Getting access to credit whether planned or in an emergency can be a challenge and if your personal circumstances are making you vulnerable too, it can be an increasingly stressful time. Here we provide links to articles in our Knowledge Centre helping you to understand the factors that influence your Equifax Credit Score and what actions you can take to help improve your chances of getting credit in the future when you need it.
- What to do if you’ve been rejected for a mortgage
- Getting a no deposit mortgage with bad credit
- Why have I been refused a credit card?
Useful Links
Statutory Credit Report
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