ANGRY Deborah Yewdall is urging tougher credit checks after her identity was stolen to open catalogue accounts.

Deborah, 28, was shocked when a county court summons arrived claiming she owed more than £89 for an unpaid item with catalogue firm. When she rang the catalogue firm, GUS, to query it she discovered another two accounts which had been opened in her name were in arrears and were now in the hands of solicitors.

And she discovered she had a black mark against her credit rating.

The summons was delivered to an address in Nelson where Deborah used to live several years ago.

It appears someone who has been renting the house since had seen an item of mail addressed to Deborah and opened the accounts using her details.

Press officer Deborah, from Barnoldswick, a former journalist with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, has seen MP Gordon Prentice to ask him to look into how the woman was able to obtain credit on false details.

"If I hadn't found out about the summons I would have been on a credit blacklist without knowing about it," said Deborah, a media relations manager for Yorkshire Electricity.

A spokesman for GUS said credit checks were made before accounts were opened and identification verified using current electoral roles.

"Following investigation into this matter we have passed information to our fraud team so they may pursue the matter further.

"We have also contacted Miss Yewdall to confirm that any adverse credit listing registered against her by our company has been removed."

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