Thread: How Debt Collectors Trace You

*_HOW debt collectors TRACE YOU_*
I recently moved home and was about to re-direct my mail thru royal mail. I noticed a comment in the terms & conditions for re-direction that concerned me so I searched for more info on who Royal Mail informed of my new address and was amazed to learn that they share all members of my household’s details with a certain company whose name I cannot provide under the site rules.
It is a totally separate company to royal mail but directly linked to one of the largest credit reference agencies and they hold unbelievable amounts of info on everyone and actually offer tracing services amongst other data collection products which are available to anyone who purchases a license. They say they sell only to companies but I registered quite easily with them in order to watch the videos they use to promote their products and they regularly email me offering new product info etc.
You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to use their software to trace people and every member of their household using their software.
Apparently British gas is responsible for 98% of their database records. British Gas directly inform them of their customers whereabouts should they have a gas bill in their name and pass it to
Royal Mail who provide every scrap of info linking a person from an old address to a new one.
Mail that isn’t even re-directed thru their re-direction service to an address provided confidentially by a customer is still reported to this company and easily accessed using their software!
In other words even if you only inform certain people i.e. your bank of your new address
and all your mail still goes to your previous address Royal Mail hold links to any and every letter to every address corresponding with yours and people in your household’s names. Including every variation of your name i.e.; initials, full name, Miss or Ms Etc.
Debt collecting agencies can freely access all this as long as they pay for the license and a few pennies per search.
This has got to be a breach of data protection laws in some way?
Anyone knows anything about this please reply?

Hi there
IMO (but it's not a legal one) the whole idea of Credit Reference agencies goes totally against any sort of DATA PROTECTION ACTS.

Not only do these agencies hold personal data about individuals - they can pass this on to 3rd parties and the checks they do when passing this data on are very superficial.

I'll bet if you call up one of these agencies and say you are "Joe Bloggs under the railway arches Ltd" and say I need to see if "Harry Flashman Neverpay" is good for credit you'll get a reply back too.

Also why is there NO transparency in any of this.

If you apply for credit and get turned down surely you should be given a proper reason -- Turned down bexause of xxxxxx etc etc.

I am doing WITHOUT credit these days -- much better way of living -- but these AWFUL companies still hold data about you WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION.


The Police and other organisations such as the Pensions service etc are allowed to hold data in performance of their DIRECT duties but these companies like Experian, Equifax etc should be SHUT DOWN FORTHWITH.

There's bound to be a rule that exempts these from various provisions from the Data protection acts -- sometimes I think ordinary Joe Public would have got a better deal if the old East German Stasi (State security secret police) ran this stuff. Bankers and Creditors get away with everything -- it's totally ONE SIDED. One law for them and NO law for us.

Cheers
jimbo

When you move address and update things such as bank details, catalogues anything like that it shows on your credit file as a link to your previous address.

Only way you can get away from it is not have things such as a bank account for 3 years or more which you have to admit is near impossible.

DCA's then search your file see the link, know its you then thats when the letters start falling through your door.

Credit referencing agencies are often used because they are reliable. If you refuse to give your previous address when applying for credit it might look a bit suspicious/fraudulent.

If you want to run away from debts you would have to NEVER apply for credit for a few years, or give fraudulant information. But of course, these people can't resist getting a new phone contract...then the old debts resurface.

Credit referencing agencies are often used because they are reliable

I've nearly stopped laughing now! CRAs are as reliable as their sources which are anything but. I have a very common surname and have battles with CRAs on a regular basis, usually because DCAs attach defaults to my credit file for debts which are nothing to do with me. I've had two CCJs recorded against my name - though admittedly the CRA in question was a bit quicker to remove those once I started shouting. It's a good job I don't need a mortgage, I'd have to time it right to get one even though I don't owe anyone any money.