Thread: Loans.co.uk - personal details sold on - Is this a [problem]

I have just received a letter from a Company I have never dealt with. They are Loans.co.uk and they basically are apologising for the fact that third party companies have sold my details held by loans.co.uk to other loan companies without loans.co.uk permission. It puzzles me that loans.co.uk should have any details about me anyway since i have never dealt with them. The upshot to this is that by way of an apology and just in case someone steals my identity as a result of this, they are offering me a free sign up to Experian Credit Expert for 12 months. All I have to do is phone them to set this up.

Oh and incidentally just as a safeguard they have reported the incident to the Police.

Is this just another [problem]?

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The wife just received this:




Worrying. I think the press would love this info.

On another note, if they are offering you Experian Credit Expert free for 12 months then you might as well take it. The service is actually quite useful.

Hmmmmm................... ....let me see. Ianfm says he has never applied to them-not sure about Blades65. But as that is two people from the forum, it
would seem likely that this is part of campaign of some kind from Loans Co.Uk.

I expect that they will hope to convert some of the people who ring their number into taking out a loan with them. A form of soliciting business I guess.
Notice that the letter starts off very vaguely-"information MAY have been sold" and "information that MAY have been provided".

Question is-where did Loans .co.uk get your information from? And what data
do they have on you? Might be an idea to ask which police station was it reported to and what progress are the police making.
And also a complaint to the ICO for their breach of the Data Protection Act
Principle 7 7 Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

I too recieved the same letter from them, my first instinct was it could be a [problem] but the tel numbers and addresses all match up - my second instict was that it is part of an ongoing promotion and a very dirty way of getting you to take advantage of it. quite a few places on the internet are offering free credit reports so this is nothing special.

I wrote back to them earlier in the week stating how disgusted i was that my details are now in a strangers hands and that how a 'free credit report' is in know way enough compensation for a) on the good side, if the info went to marketing companies, the amount of calls and mail i will get over the years to come or b) on the worst side, my details being open for abuse and identity fraud.

I haven't had a response yet but will let you know when i do.

blithering idiots !

ps. Hi to all, i'm a newbie : )

Ooh, and i forgot to add, if the credit report is 'FREE' then why do they need our credit card numbers as it says in the letter... there's other ways of identifying us like our 'unique reference number' or maybe our names and addresses.

AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHH Scum-bags !!

We too have had one of these letters.
I am about to word a letter to them demanding compensation for their incompetence and the inconvenience distress and worry it has caused us. They surely are responsible for ensuring any information they hold is secure under the Data Protection Act.
Does anyone have access to properly worded letter for a case such as this?

Hi again,

This was the letter i wrote, feel free to use as a template, it wasn't drawn up by a legal representative mind:

Loans.co.uk
6 Marlin House
Croxley Business Park
Watford
Herts
WD18 8TD
06th September 2007


Dear Sirs,

RE: My Personal Details & Identity fraud (your letter enclosed)

This-morning I received a letter from yourselves (enclosed) stating that you had not looked after my personal information and that somehow it had been sold to a 3rd party without your permission (apparently). This information included my name, address, DOB and any information that would be on a loan application form which would obviously include all of my bank details. Although you presume that this will be used for commercial use, you state there is a possibility it could be used for identity fraud.

I am utterly disgusted with this as personal information provided by myself should not be kept on insecure records and certainly not widely accessible by the general public nor your employees to abuse. Unless you can offer me reasonable compensation within the next 14 days for this, I will be contacting my solicitor and taking further action. Your offer of a free 12 month credit report is not acceptable to me as compensation for a matter of this importance.

Any correspondence regarding this should be done so in writing for legal reasons.

I look forward to hearing from you

Yours Truly

I hope that when you sent the letter Wizard, that youi sent them a copy of their letter rather than the original since you would need that in any legal
action.

I did indeed send them a copy,

however the original they sent me looked like it was a copy.

Thanks for your help Wizard, by the way our letter from them also looks like a copy!
Our letter to them is in the post. Will let you know.
As a footnote, my solicitor is very helpful and approachable and tells me that it looks like they are already admitting liabilty so a couple of carefully worded latters should get them to stump up, he says we shouldn't need to get solicitors involved!

Seems the sh*t has hit the fan:

Data Theft From Loans Co Uk (from This Is Hertfordshire)

I feel a court case coming on.

We've had one too, I wondered why we've been having so many junk calls lately, I suggest everyone who has recieved one of these letters to start keeping a diary of the calls they've recieved in case this does end up in court.

I stand corrected on my notion that it was a marketing ploy. Interesting though, how Loans.Co.UK themselves appear to have lost details of customers
who didn't know they were customers. Perhaps the ICO should look at that aspect also.

I have now received the same letter saying that my details have been passed on to marketing companies.

I am 100% sure that I have never applied or had a loan with these people.

We have received many times daily marketing calls, mostly from Indian call centres and all offering some sort of loan.

I will be taking advantage of the free credit report as well as sending the letter above that M_W wrote, but I too can not understand why they need my credit card number?

I have today responded to the letter (using some of the details from Maltese Wizard (many thanks). I have also written to the information commissioner:

Loans.co.uk
6 Marlin House
Croxley Business Park
Watford
Herts
WD18 8TD

10th September 2007


Dear Sir/Madam,

I am in receipt of your letter dated 3rd September 2007. It appears that you have personal information on your files relating to myself although I have never ever had any dealings with your company. To make matters worse you have in your letter stated that you have failed to looked after this personal information and that somehow it has been sold to a 3rd party without your permission (apparently). This information included my name, address, DOB and any information that would be on a loan application form which would obviously include all of my bank details. Although you presume that this will be used for commercial use, you state there is a possibility it could be used for identity fraud.

You are in clear breach of the data protection act and in particular the following clause:
Principle 7 7 Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

The offer of a free twelve month subscription to Credit Expert is not sufficient compensation for the damages you have caused to me in this matter by your negligence.

I require that you offer me reasonable compensation within the next 14 days for this, please also supply me with the following details:

Where did you originally obtain my personal details, and from whom?
Which Police Officer/Station was this matter reported to and on what date?
What is the name of the third party organisation that has obtained my personal information?

I have today made a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner.

I expect a response in writing on this matter within fourteen days, failure to do so will result in my giving you notice to commence legal action against you.

I look forward to hearing from you