I've been cloned

I received four letters this morning, welcoming me to various credit cards and bank accounts that I definitely hadn't applied for. Yes, I'm the victim of identity theft. I rang the financial institutions immediately, and it seems that their procedures had stopped any money from going missing. Phew.

However, I'm still concerned about the impact on my credit rating, so I went to the sites of the two major credit reference agencies - Equifax and Experian. They have a statutory duty to supply details of your credit history for a fee of two pounds. Even though you can apply online, they send it by post, taking "up to seven days". I can see my report online immediately, for twelve quid. Not very user-friendly for someone who has just had their identity nicked. I guess I'll have to pay the fee for immediate access.

Fingers crossed.