Legal solutions provider Epoq has launched what is claimed to be the first legal service to assist clients who have suffered identity theft.

The service, which is currently only available to policyholders of insurer Alliance & Leicester, is supported by a call centre of 62 qualified lawyers.


Under the system, clients who discover that criminals have been using their identity to obtain credit, may log on to a special Web site where they will find all the documents necessary to notify credit reference agencies.


Having completed notices of dispute, correction and disassociation, which instruct the agencies to amend their records, the forms are then sent to the legal team for checking.


Once vetted by the legal advisers, policyholders may then send the forms on to the credit agencies to have their credit record restored.


Epoq joint chief operating officer Richard Cohen said: 'No one has produced a legal service to help with identity fraud before. Victims who may be unaware of how to solve the problem may now access quick, simple and effective legal assistance.'


Mr Cohen, who is also a partner at north London law firm Landau & Cohen, added that Epoq is currently in discussions with a large range of credit card and financial services companies about extending the service to them.


'Identity fraud is a serious issue for the insurance and credit card industries,' he said.


Last year, there were 130,000 cases of identity theft in the UK, a 30% rise on the previous year, according to figures from the UK's fraud prevention service CIFAS. It estimated the cost to the UK economy at £1.3 billion per year.