I have since been contacted by Experian Credit Experts, who seek to debunk some credit score myths.
The information that they supplied to me is useful, but I feel that they believe that most people must be fairly dumb to think that these factors will affect their credit score. What do you think of these myths, available here: http://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/credit-education/common-credit-myths.html
But Experian did not acknowledge my challenge to the risky business of checking your credit score on a frequent basis:- Experian completely missed the little-publicised fact that if you (or someone else) regularly checks your credit score, it will show up as a series of "soft hits" on your credit score file - Potential lenders will see these checks, and this will arouse suspicion. I have been informed that too many of these hits will deter lenders from lending, even if a decision/agreement has been made in principle.
I am convinced that I wasn't granted a mortgage a few years ago due to me approaching several lenders in quick succession, then following this up with several checks with Experian.
So, if you really think that your personal information is at risk from the Carphone Warehouse hack, check your bank account details and statements regularly, and only occasionally (at a later date) check to see if your credit score is being affected.
You should be fine, as potential fraudsters will be heading for your accounts first - and they may not even have all of the necessary data to steal anything from you, so be aware, but don't panic!
