Credit alerts surge after CPR leak, but can create false security

More than 700,000 people added credit alerts to their CPR records in the week after authorities disclosed a leak of 8.8 million CPR numbers, DR reports. The number of people with an alert rose from just under 250,000 on October 1 to about 970,000 on Wednesday.

A credit alert is a voluntary flag in the CPR register indicating that a person wants businesses to take extra care before opening a loan or line of credit in their name. Businesses decide whether to receive the alert, and it can make it harder to obtain credit. The flag can be removed, though that may take some time.

Ulla Malling, a project manager at the Danish Consumer Council Tænk, describes the alert as an extra safeguard. With names and addresses exposed, she said, fraudsters have more information to help them impersonate people. An alert can prompt a business to check whether a credit application is genuine.

But Malling warned that the alert does not prevent fraud on its own and could create false confidence if people assume they are now protected. She urged people to be cautious about unsolicited contact, including messages or calls claiming to be from a bank or the police: “Stop, check, think.”

Research, Education and Digitalisation Minister Christina Egelund said authorities recommend setting an alert when there is a specific suspicion that someone is misusing a CPR number. For example, receiving an email with a suspicious link could be a reason to do so. If nothing unusual has happened, she said, there is no need to set one, as it can make it harder to obtain credit.