Key takeaways

  • Checking is free — make a data subject access request (DSAR) to Cifas.
  • Apply online with two proofs of identity and six years of address history.
  • Cifas must reply within one calendar month of a complete request.
  • The reply tells you who filed the marker and why — you need both to challenge it.

Why a credit report is not enough

Cifas is not a credit reference agency. A credit report only shows Cifas victim markers, so a marker filed against you will not normally appear there. The reliable way to find out is to ask Cifas directly.

How to make the request

The right you are using is your legal right of access to personal data held about you, usually called a data subject access request.

  1. Go to the Cifas subject access request form.
  2. Give your full name, date of birth, contact details and every address you have lived at in the last six years.
  3. Upload two proofs of identity: a valid passport, driving licence, biometric residence permit or national identity card, plus a recent bank statement, utility bill, council tax letter or tax notification.
  4. Submit the form. Cifas must respond within one calendar month of receiving a complete request.
You never need to pay

Cifas does not charge for a subject access request or a complaint. Be wary of anyone who charges to “check” for a marker or guarantees removal for a fee.

How to read the reply

If a marker is held, the report will show, among other things:

  • National Fraud Database entry filed by — the organisation that recorded the marker. This is who you challenge first.
  • Case type, reasons for filing and Cifas filing — why it was recorded.
  • Date recorded — when the marker was recorded.

It may also list organisations that have searched against your details.

What to do next

If the report shows a marker you believe is wrong, the first step is to complain to the organisation that filed it, using its complaints procedure. If that does not resolve it, you can take a complaint about a bank or lender to the Financial Ombudsman Service. We cover the full route in how to get a CIFAS marker removed.