After your CIFAS report is uploaded and your markers are confirmed, the system walks you through a series of questions for each marker. This is how the system understands your case: your answers directly shape the legal arguments, your roadmap, and every letter that's generated.
How it works
Questions appear one per screen. For most questions, you tap an answer and the system advances automatically. For file uploads and text inputs, you tap "Continue" when ready. You can go back at any time to change a previous answer.
The questions adapt based on your answers: if you answer "yes" to one question, the follow-up is different from if you answer "no". The system is finding the specific circumstances of your case, not asking generic questions.
What the system asks about
The questions cover two areas:
Your specific situation
These questions are tailored to your marker type. For example:
- Misuse of Facility: what happened with your account, how you became involved, whether you were recruited or deceived, what you knew at the time
- False Application: what information was incorrect, whether it was an honest mistake, whether a broker was involved
- Facility Takeover: whether someone accessed your account with or without your knowledge, your relationship to that person
Different marker types have different questions because they have different legal challenge grounds. The system needs to understand your specific situation to build the right arguments.
Universal questions
These are asked for every marker, regardless of type:
- Did the institution contact you before filing? If they didn't, this is a procedural breach that strengthens your case.
- Do you have correspondence about this marker? Letters, emails, or messages from the institution contain useful material.
- Have you already complained to the institution? If yes, the system picks up from where you are.
- Have you reported this to the police or Action Fraud? Adds credibility to your challenge.
- How has this marker affected your life? Financial impact, employment, housing, mental health. Used to argue the marker is disproportionate.
Every answer matters. Whether the institution contacted you before filing, whether you have evidence, whether you've already complained: each one affects your legal strategy and the strength of your challenge.
Why honesty matters
Answer every question truthfully. The system builds your challenge from what actually happened, not from what sounds best. If you were involved in something, the system has specific legal arguments for your situation (see What if I was actually at fault?). Providing inaccurate information weakens your challenge because the arguments won't match the evidence.
Multiple markers
If your report has more than one marker, the system asks questions for each one separately. But it's smart about it:
- "Is this the same situation?": for your second marker onwards, the system asks if it's the same circumstances as a previous one. If yes, you skip the detailed questions for that marker.
- Evidence reuse: if you uploaded evidence for one marker, you can check "Same evidence as before" for subsequent markers instead of re-uploading.
For multiple markers, the "same situation" shortcut can cut the question flow significantly. You only answer the full set of questions once per unique situation.
What happens with your answers
Your answers feed directly into:
- Your case assessment: the system evaluates the strength of your challenge based on your specific circumstances, evidence, and what the institution did (or didn't do)
- Your roadmap: the steps generated are tailored to your marker type, situation, and what you've already done
- Your letters: every letter references your specific circumstances and builds arguments from what you told the system
- Vulnerability flags: if your answers indicate coercion, mental health impact, financial hardship, or other vulnerability factors, the system invokes FCA Consumer Duty obligations in your letters
You can go back
If you make a mistake or want to change an answer, tap the back button at any time. The system maintains your full answer history; going back doesn't lose your progress. It just lets you change a specific answer and see how the flow adjusts.
