I have received a letter from FTB-Ltd asking for me to confirm my name/address. They claim to be validating details for a pension scheme. Two issues here 1) one initial is wrong 2) I have worked for same govt dept all my life so they clearly don't need to validate my pension scheme

A thread from Jul 2007 says they might be OK but on the Internet they are virtually sub-surface, 2 entries in a business directory and a stand at the Nov 06 Pension Fair.

Is this technique a pre-lude to a debt collection order, a CSA claim (unlikely in my case as married now for 18 years) or some other con.

Inclination is to ignore letter totally but I have had a number of life policies over the years (not that I thought I had lost sight of any of them) and it would be a shame to lose opportunity for a payment - but of course that is what these cons rely on.

Any advice or information of FTB-Ltd?

Yes I would say they are fishing for info - is it likely that you have some old debt outstanding that the ycould be chasing?

It is very unlikely I have an outstanding debt which I don't know about (and as far as I know I don't have any debt other than mortgage). I haven't used HP for over 5 years, only use one credit card (and I know the status of that (although do have others but monthly statements show zero balance).

In which case you have nothing to lose and maybe something to gain?

Just for the record I rang them today. They were looking for a Mr X Y Z born in 1971. Once I confirmed that I was not born in 1971 (without giving them the fact that I am Mr X V Z) they asked to confirm which address I was at so they could delete it from their records.

So assuming I get no junk mail (by confirming a valid address and name - which of course they could get from Land Registry - they are probably genuine.

In all probability a DCA in 'stealth' mode on a fishing trip. They've trawled through the electoral roll (work experience for the unemployable) & your address has come up

We had similar experience with someone trying to trace my OH. We were naturally paranoid but found out they wanted to pay him an outstanding amount from an insurance plan when he was a rich person:p (before I met him unfortunately)

We had similar experience with someone trying to trace my OH. We were naturally paranoid but found out they wanted to pay him an outstanding amount from an insurance plan when he was a rich person:p (before I met him unfortunately)

Lol always the way innit?

I also received a letter from the FTB.

Firstly I am concerned how they got my details and who gave them to them.

Perhaps the Data Protection principal has been broken???

The letter does not explain who they are and who has instucted them to contact me and what information they require.

Strange...mmmmmm

I have written to this company on two occassions and they have failed to respond.

I asked them where they obtained my information and why did the pensions company not write to me before dislosing my personal information.

I would like to hear from others who has experienced this.

Faraday Tracing Burea Tracing People who have a Pension with the National Bus Company.

I have finally had a reply. I have been doing some digging and this is what I have found.

In March 2008 there was a case in the chancery division, please double click on the blue writing below to read the case:-

NBPF Pension Trustees Ltd. v Warnock-Smith & Anor [2008] EWHC 455 (Ch) (14 March 2008)

Basically if you had a pension with the National Bus Company you maybe entittled to a sum of money.

Alot of people lost out on their pensions as far as I am aware there is over a million pounds to be claimed.

Solicitors called Taylor Wessing contacted Faraday Tracing Burea to trace missing people who have not claimed their pension pot. You could also claim if you were next of kin. Please click on the link below

Taylor Wessing: David Greig

The company dealing with the claims in Standard Life Mr Collins telephone number 0131 245 6431.

I am requested copies of all documents in relation to the pension.

I found this thread after searching for "Faraday Tracing Bureau". I found other references on the web to the company contacting people about lost bus company pension funds. By coincidence I've been trying to track down pension contributions I made to merchant navy companies years ago - the companies are long gone.

I called their 0800 number and found that they were indeed trying to find me for a pension fund I last paid into in the mid 1980's. The Merchant Navy Officers' Pension Fund had been trying to track me down (I've had a dozen addresses since then) and had managed to get an address from 1996 (when I'd re-registered my MN deck officer qualification with the Dept of Trade.

I doubt if there is much in the fund for me from the contributions I made from 1975 to 1983 but who knows? I will, if the near future when MNOPF write to me!

Hi to everybody that is or has had runnings with FTB.

My story is this, they rang me and asked what they ask everyone, they need to update my details. Now I have spoken to someone there already and if there is anyone on this thread that has payed into a pension scheme connected to

Heywood Scheme Lifetime.

could anyone help me in finding out weather it is part of the Heywood Williams group or not.

hope to from you and i can sort this out

I had a letter from them today correct name on the letter wrong on the details in it, I had a quick look on google and found their website and this on a gov dept website still not convinced follow the links below

Ding

www.ftb-ltd.com/

New death records scheme to tackle identity fraud | Home Office

New death records scheme to tackle identity fraud

23 December 2008

A new scheme will bring an end to a cruel type of identity fraud that can devastate grieving families and cost businesses millions of pounds a year.

Finance firms have hailed the scheme which releases the names of every person who has died in the UK each week as a pivotal step in the fight against fraudsters impersonating the dead.

This type of fraud takes many forms - from criminals stealing the identities of dead people from obituaries for forged credit applications, to dishonest family members claiming pensions long after their relative has died.

A common form of identity theft

Identity fraud protection service CIFAS believes this is one of Britain's most common forms of identity theft. The government estimates the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy is at least £1.2billion.

Since September the UK's three Registrars General have released around 140,000 death records to carefully vetted organisations to match against their clients' databases. Already 10s of thousands of matches have been made against business records helping to prevent potential frauds.

One subscriber to the scheme administered by the General Register Office (GRO) estimates that at least one in 400 pensions are being claimed fraudulently by families despite their relatives having been dead for many years.

Mortality checks have even found a case where a woman was found claiming her aunt's pension to pay a mortgage on a house 10 years after the old woman had died at the age of 98.

In another case, a pension company was informed their client had died six weeks before the family informed them, allowing them to stop payment immediately.

Statement from the Home Office Minister

Meg Hillier said, 'The use of death records in this way will have a dramatic impact on fraudsters abusing people's deaths - a crime which causes financial and personal distress to both businesses and individuals alike.

'We're sending a strong message to criminals: if you try and steal the identity of someone who has died to commit fraud you will be found out.'

Four firms have already been accredited to receive death register information with around a dozen more going through the stringent licensing process. Businesses can then submit records such as pension claims, insurance claims and credit applications to the licensees to find out if an individual is deceased.

Statement from the Faraday Tracing Bureau

Faraday Tracing Bureau (FTB), a pioneer of mortality screening, has been carrying out checks for nearly 10 years and is one of the original four firms to be accredited by the GRO. It conducts mortality checks for over 200 well-known pension funds.

FTB sales director Chris Rattenbury, said, 'Firms undertaking mortality screening were finding on average that one in four hundred pensions were being claimed fraudulently sometimes for as long as 10 years.'

'This new process will stop this kind of fraud completely. Pension schemes will be saving huge sums of money not only in fraudulent claims but also in administration costs.'

A deterrent to would-be fraudsters

Tracesmart Ltd, another of the original firms to be accredited, supplies mortality screening to major financial institutions and pension schemes.

Michael Trezise, managing director of Tracesmart, said, 'This is proving to be a pivotal weapon in the battle against fraud. We've identified a considerable volume of deaths within our client's customer databases, which allows them to prevent the deceased's identity from being used for fraud- protecting both company and customer alike.

'As more and more companies begin to use this data, we are confident that the level of this fraud will significantly drop. Simply the knowledge that death record information is being used to tackle fraud is a considerable deterrent to would-be fraudsters.'

Statement from the UK's Fraud Prevention Service

Peter Hurst, chief executive of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service said, 'The number of individuals affected continues to be far too high. Identity fraud is serious, and no-one should be complacent about it which is why this initiative is so important in helping to stamp it out.

'Quite apart from financial losses, the effect on victims can be very distressing. In the case of impersonation of the dead, the effect on bereaved relatives can be devastating. And where any victim's identity has been seriously compromised, it can be an extremely time-consuming and frustrating process to untangle the threads of deception.'

Statement from the National Association of Pension Funds

Keith Hollender, commercial director of the National Association of Pension Funds, which speaks for 1,200 pension schemes with assets of around £800 billion said, 'The decision by the GRO to release names held on the death register is welcomed by pension schemes. For many years, scheme managers have struggled to find an effective way to make sure they receive prompt notification of a member's death.

'Genuine mistakes, for example when relatives forget to tell the scheme that a member has died, and deliberate fraud can cost pension schemes and insurers millions of pounds both in terms of monthly cash outlays and incorrect valuations of liabilities.

'This decision will help minimise costs and has made the administration of pension funds much easier.'

Notes to editors

Death registration information has been released under the Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) scheme since the end of September.

The Police and Justice Act 2006 conferred powers on the General Register Office (GRO) for England & Wales and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, whilst GRO in Scotland take their powers from the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006. The three Registrars General supply bulk information contained in any register of deaths to organisations for use in the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences.

GRO became a part of the Identity and Passport Service (new window) (IPS), an agency of the Home Office in April 2008.

Four organisations have been accredited to receive the information from the GRO: Tracesmart Ltd, Synectics Solutions Ltd, Experian Ltd and Faraday Tracing Bureau Ltd. Each firm has a binding licence agreement and will be subject to a compliance regime to ensure the information is used appropriately. A number of firms are undergoing the accreditation process.

Approximately 12,000 records a week are made available to the four organisations. For more information about the death registration scheme log on to the General Register Office (new window) website.

For more information call the Home Office press office on 020 7035 3819 or the newsdesk on 020 7035 3535.

I found them to be a genuine company and were tracing me for a

38 year old pesion with MANWEB. They had my previous address and employer , and asked me to confirm my DOB to prove I was the right person

I spoke to a nice guy called Martin who was very helpfull seeing I started the phone call thinking it was a con.

Like other contributors,

I received letters from FTB asking me to contact them to confirm information held about me by "an occupational pension scheme".

I was suspicious because the scheme was not named in the letters, and considered binning them.

However, I found this site and read the posts that have been submitted, and decided to telephone FTB.

It turned out that they had been instructed by an operational pension scheme to establish contact with me on their behalf.

This scheme was managing the pension rights of employees of an organization which I worked for briefly and is now defunct.

I had forgotten that I was entitled to a pension.

I only worked for about six months in a low-status job,

but even if I receive just enough pension to buy fish and chips once a fortnight,

it's better than a kick in the teeth.

FTB gives little away in its approaches,

to discourage the devious from making false claims.

When I telephoned them, snippets of information were exchanged bit-by-bit to establish trust.

I am glad that they found me!

another genuine experience

step by step they got me to prove I was the person they wanted to talk to.

They are being careful, as they don't want to give away the pension to the wrong person

nice experience, if you get a letter from them, do call them

I received a letter with my maiden name (married 8 years).

All details correct, including middle name initial, other than the use of 'Mrs' (I would have been a Miss!).

Reference to a Pension Scheme Arrangement.

I read everything on here and just gave them a call.

They were trying to trace someone with this name and the same birth year as me.

They asked me to confirm my date of birth but I said I didn't want to give any further personal details over the phone until I knew more.

He was obviously used to this reaction so explained it would be in connection to a pension I'd paid into.

he asked a couple of other non evasive questions

- whether I'd lived at a certain address (which I hadn't lived at)

and whether I'd worked for an insurance company (which I hadn't).

At that point he said that I wasn't the person they were trying to trace,

thanked me for calling and apologised for wasting my time.

My hunch is they are genuine.

But it's right to be cautious about giving over personal details.

I've just called them as I received a letter regarding a company trying to trace me about an occupational pension scheme.

I called them and they checked DP by asking me whether I had lived at a certain previous address, and confirming my DOB with me.

They also asked whether I had a OPS with AXA/Winterthur.

They had received communication from AXA as the address they had on file for me was my previous address.

I confirmed my new address and FTB said they would pass the information onto AXA so that they can update their records.

They confirmed I needed to take no action and that AXA would be writing to me.

I'm glad I called - I wouldn't want to lose out on the benefits of the many years of pension contributions with AXA!

For information,we now have the presence of Jill who is the Official Company Rep for Faraday Tracing Bureau.

I know this thread is quite old but I have had a similar letter. I can re-assure anyone who has had a letter that these people seem quite genuine. They did confirm many details about me and I am now waiting for contact from a company (who have been taken over recently), who I worked for almost 30 years ago regarding a pension.

I will update this when they have made contact with me to further confirm my feelings that faraday are indeed genuine.

I received a letter from FTB this week... after reading some of the posts I was in two minds whether to call them or not. I'm glad I decided to make the call as once I confirmed who I was they advised that they were tracing me on behalf of a pension fund that was tracking down lost members. It just so happened that the fund was for a company I worked for in the 90's and I didn't even know I was a member of their pension. They also advised that now they have confirmed who I am and where I live they will inform the pension fund so the fund can contact me with my pension details etc.

Hi - I have also received a letter and just called them - the letter does relate to a pension scheme with an ex employer - they didn't try to get any information from me that wasn't appropriate - I'd say they are definitly genuine. Hope this post helps other people, and thanks to all the previous poster.

Faraday Tracing Bureau is a company who's director is Ian DeSouza and company secretary is Donna DeSouza.

Ian also directed a company called Argosy Debt Recoveries until 2006.

The company traces people who owe or owed money.

Before the pension idea

there was a parcel company,

which had so called insured parcels that needed to be signed for,

so a current address was needed for delivery.

They get address from forms that you would have signed including guarantors addresses.

Hope this information helps.

I received a letter from them 7 April 2014.

looked on the internet and was a little worried if it was phishing.

Found this site and saw some people said good things, so I cautiously phoned them Today.

I was was very careful and asked them to give me some way of telling they were genuine!

The young lady first asked for the reference from the letter and then addressed me by my middle name which was not on the letter they sent.

She then told me that I had worked for a company in 1988 and their pension fund had been taken over by another company which wished to contact me.

The information I gave her did not agree,

but I mentioned there was another parent company who owned them when I started there,

she then confirmed the name of the parent company.

At the moment I am 99.9% certain that Faraday is genuine.

As some one else had mentioned,

it appears they get a finders fee from the pension company..

...NO Mention of any costs were made.

The girl said that all correspondence will come directly from the new pension company very shortly Will keep you posted!