My son has recently been burgled. He has been unemployed for several years and has no money apart from his benefit. He last week discovered his passport had been stolen at the time of the burglary and reported it to the police. This week he discovered his birth certificate had also gone missing at the same time. Now he is completely open to credit fraud, and although he has been virtually penniless for years somebody could use his name for fraudulent purposes. The burglary, and subsequent discoveries of loss of passport and birth certificate have been reported to the police to go on the crime report.

He has no access to a computer and thus no email address. The burglars also cut his phone line, and as this will cost £200 to reconnect (according to BT) he will now only use his mobile phone. Therefore his only connection with Experian must be through me and my computer, as I cannot find a phone number for them.

Can we possibly register for Experian services using my email address and computer? We are desperately worried about this situation and would be grateful for your advice.

Marianne Nash

You are right to be concerned - identity fraud is still a big problem. I'm really glad you got in touch because there is a lot we can do to help your son. He should start by phoning our Consumer Help Service (0844 481 8000) and asking to speak to our Victims of Fraud team. They can phone him back if necessary. They will be able to advise your son on appropriate measures he can take to help protect his identity. For instance, it might be useful for him to register with the CIFAS Protective Registration service to alert potential lenders to the burglary and missing documents. They will also be able to explain other fraud-prevention steps, such as your son keeping a very close eye on his credit report. And he could certainly do this online using your PC. If a fraudster does strike, it will usually show up on a credit report immediately. I'm sure you've already contacted the UK Passport Service about the missing passport, but if not it's important you do this as soon as possible. I really hope your son doesn't become a victim of identity fraud, but if he does he shouldn't panic because we would help him sort it out and set the record straight very quickly.