Not upheld: alleged fraudulent application / identity theft complaint against CA Auto Finance Ltd

Decision detail

Summary

Mr T claimed he was a victim of identity theft and did not enter into a hire purchase agreement with CA Auto Finance Ltd for a car in June 2024. He complained in June 2025 after noticing payments being taken from his bank account, but CAAF's fraud team confirmed the agreement was genuine. The ombudsman found that the application process included verified identification with biometric testing, was digitally signed from Mr T's email address, and involved correct bank account details. Substantial payments of approximately £785 were made for nearly a year before complaint, and a welcome letter was sent to his address, making it unlikely he was unaware of the agreement. The ombudsman rejected Mr T's complaint as not upheld, finding insufficient evidence of fraud and noting his later contradictory claims about the car never being supplied.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that the application process included detailed personal information matching Mr T's details, was sent to his email address, was digitally signed, and involved verified identification that passed biometric tests. The fact that substantial payments of £785 were made for nearly a year without complaint, combined with a welcome letter sent to his address, made it unlikely a third party made the application without his knowledge. Mr T's later claim that the car was never supplied contradicted his original assertion that he had no knowledge of the agreement, and he failed to provide plausible evidence to support his claims despite investigator requests.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website