Bank added a Cifas marker I think is wrong: who helps?

Summary

A Cifas marker is a fraud warning a bank or lender records on a shared database. Only the firm that recorded it can remove it. If you think it is wrong, get a free copy of your Cifas file, complain to the firm with evidence, ask Cifas for a review once you have the firm's final response, then take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The Ombudsman asks whether the firm had reasonable grounds and clear, relevant, rigorous evidence for the marker. All of these routes are free.

Key information

• Who removes it: the firm that filed it. Cifas can review a complaint, but the filing firm holds the power to remove.
• Get your file: ask Cifas for a copy of what it holds. It is free and Cifas aims to reply within a month.
• Ask the firm too: a data request to the bank can show what evidence it relied on.
• Evidence: if a genuine ID was called false, show it is genuine (for example a DVLA licence check code, passport, proof of address at the time).
• Timing: note the date the marker was filed. If it appeared soon after your own complaint or data request, say so in your complaint.
• Deadline: you usually have 6 months from the firm's final response to go to the Financial Ombudsman.
• Other banks: members can see markers and may review your accounts. Keep records of any refusals: they show the impact if you complain.
• The bank can: review your complaint and evidence, and issue a final response, usually within 8 weeks; remove the marker if it accepts it should not have been recorded. They will not tell you everything that triggered it unless you ask, ideally with a data request.
• Cifas can: give you a free copy of your file on request. Start at Cifas; carry out an independent review once you share the firm's final response. They will not remove a member's marker itself, or award compensation.
• The Financial Ombudsman Service can: review whether the bank had reasonable grounds and good enough evidence to record the marker; tell the bank to remove it and, in some cases, pay compensation for distress. They will not take complaints against Cifas itself. Start at how to complain.
• The ICO can: take a complaint if a firm fails to answer a data request or will not correct inaccurate data. See your right to get your data corrected. They will not order a marker removed in the way the Ombudsman can.

Practical guidance

• Request your file from Cifas and a copy of your data from the bank using a subject access request.
• Complain to the bank in writing with proof the ID was genuine. Ask for removal and a final response.
• If refused, send the final response to Cifas and ask for an independent review.
• In parallel, complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service within 6 months of the final response.
• If data requests go unanswered, complain to the ICO.
• If someone else used your identity, also report it and ask Cifas about protective options.
• Ask the Shaman to order the steps for your case.

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