Anyway, proxy servers are now getting a bit off-topic. WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE IN A LETTER? Use the templates on this site. You can alter them to suit your needs, but it's often advisable to post here what you intend to send. CAG members will gladly help you with advice. Always include your postal address, the DCA's address, the date (very important) and never sign your letter - either type your title/name or print it if you're writing your letter by hand. If you're going to alter the content of a letter template, especially any references to legal stuff - for example, number of days in which a DCA must respond, quoting legal references, etc. Get it checked here before sending. It's rare, but sometimes a little mistake, misquote or typo can mean the difference between having a solid case and not doing so.

General info is here: Proxy server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia You can do a Google or similar search for a proxy server. You don't have to download anything, just enter the web address of the site you want to visit into the proxy server search field. An example is this one: There are plenty of free proxy sites if you do a search.

Thanks Uncle. Concise and helpful as always. I think I owe you a beer or two!

Thanks Pompey - but... private browser mode in IE or Firefox doesn't mask your IP address. It will simply not record your browsing history on your machine and will clear your cache/temp files at the end of a session. You need to use a proxy in order to avoid leaving an IP trail. Actually, something that I didn't mention is "Roaming IPs". People can look it up if they wish. It just means that your IP address changes with every login session. Most people don't have them though as static IPs are standard with most non-WiFi providers. If you're worried, use a proxy.

I suppose that's a good point Fred, but I'm always wary of electronic communication as email headers, content, IP details, and so on, can quite easily be copied, changed, etc. I'd prefer to be certain and get it all recorded by a third party i.e. Royal Mail. Each to their own though - if something works for you and you've had no problems, then fair play to you.

In any circumstance where you believe any of your internet accounts have been hacked by someone genuinely wishing to do you harm, the best thing is always to go to your local police, report it and make a statement. Insist on getting the crime number. If you ever need evidence in the future, you can produce that info. Hope all is sorted out with your problem now Cartaphilus

No problem H and thanks for your input. It should be pointed out also that with hacking programs, even "private" folders that are password-protected are vulnerable. If I can do it, anyone can... As I said before, the anonymous image hosting sites are the best way to go - please see my initial post for a couple of examples.

I do see your point Cartaphilus, but hacking is, in many cases, a criminal offence. That's another way to collect ammunition against the enemy. That's why I advise that if anyone is particularly worried, then try using a proxy. It's easy and free. If anyone wants help/advice on this kind of thing, they're welcome to PM me. As long as they're genuine registered CAGgers that is

You can't get any info from a screen shot. It's simply by default, a .BMP file. What you could do is view the HTML source code of the web page and on some websites, you might be able to view the originating IP address of a poster within the code. You'd need to have some knowledge of HTML though, rather than being the usual peanut-eater employed by DCAs. If you wanted to avoid leaving a trace of your IP address anywhere, you can simply log on using a proxy IP address. Find out more here: Proxy server - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia It is theoretically possible to trace an IP address back from the proxy, although it's an incredibly involved procedure. In addition, simply having someone's IP address is fairly useless info unless you can legally require the Internet Provider to divulge the user's name and address. For instance, all you would get from my IP address if you could find it is the UK region in which I was situated. With a population of around 50,000 I'd be just another needle in a haystack.

CORRESPONDENCE Never include your phone number - home or mobile - in any correspondence unless legally required. In the same vein, never include your email address. If a DCA wants to contact you, make sure they put it in writing. They're less likely to bully or threaten you in the same way as by phone or in a doorstep visit, plus you have thinking time. You also then have documentary proof of everything, plus you can ask people here for advice and post the letter for reference.

Thanks Fred. Good advice. Bar codes are getting alot more prominent on DCA letters now.

SCREEN NAMES When you post on a site such as C.A.G. don't use the same screen name that you use for Facebook, Myspace, Photobucket, etc. Anyone, DCAs included, can simply do a websearch and find out alot more about you. Choose a unique screen name that you don't use anywhere else.

I wonder what a DCA's response would be if you did write to them in crayon?

Hi All, I've spent alot of time reading through threads here and noticed some comments, posts etc. where really good extra general advice is given, but it doesn't always seem to filter through to prominent parts of threads. I was wondering if anyone wanted to share their tips and tricks that just give that added bit of help? If it's okay with the site team, I'd like to suggest that people add to this thread. Here are a few suggestions from me: POSTING SCANS/PHOTOS OF DOCUMENTS In many threads, people advise posting scans/photos onto Photobucket. Don't. It's not secure and your other photos/identifying factors could be revealed to anyone who knows how to do it. For example, there's the "fusker" program. Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusker I would suggest an alternative: use sites like imagebam.com, imagevenue.com etc. The reason being that they do not require registration, user names, or any other personally identifying information in the same way that sites like Photobucket and Flickr do. You post almost anonymously, although your IP address is logged (as with any mainstream site, Photobucket included). A site is not required to reveal your IP address unless legally ordered to do so. With Photobucket, Flickr, Webshots, etc. a DCA could simply look up your username, match it with other results in internet searches and use certain computer programs to have a look at all of the photos you've posted. Sounds paranoid? Well, what if you've posted a picture on your Photobucket account of you standing outside your house, proudly holding your new baby, but your brand new car reg. is clearly visible, along with your house number, etc.? You suddenly get a call from the DCA asking how you could afford a new car and that you should now "up" your monthly payments. Starts getting a bit more worrying, doesn't it? REMOVING PERSONAL INFO FROM SCANS/PHOTOS I've seen many examples in threads where people have used felt pen or biro to scribble over personal details. Don't do it. The information can easily be retrieved using Photoshop or similar. Instead, use your photo editing software - even MS Paint will do the job. In "Paint" simply open your document, use the "crop" tool to crop out any personal info. Drag the cursor around the bit you'd like to delete - it'll look like a rectangle with dotted lines. Hit the "delete" button on your keyboard. The pixel info is then removed from your image and can't be retrieved if someone tries viewing or downloading it - save your edited image under a different name and use the "properties" (right-click) function to remove personal details - this should prevent any info collection via EXIF data. Here's an example: WHICH EXTRAS DO YOU PUT ON LETTERS AS STANDARD? I've started to mark every piece of correspondence with "By Royal Mail Recorded Delivery". It might seem obvious, but it's a not-so-subtle reminder to anyone dealing with your correspondence that you can prove that you sent the letter and that the DCA received it. Anything you can do to re-inforce any argument, proof of your/their actions is a potential help. That's it from me for now. More when I think of any. Cheers all.

Proof of recorded delivery: I also haven't had any phone calls for two days now I was wondering though, account is now in dispute... If Lowell magically come up with a true credit agreement, presumably then I would have to make a repayment offer for an amount I can reasonably afford, instead of the huge monthly amounts they were previously demanding? Conversely, if they cannot come up with a true CCA and I pay nothing to them for six years, it then becomes statute barred. Does that then mean that the alleged debt still remains, but is unenforceable? If so, how would I be able to make the whole thing go away? Any advice welcomed and thanks once again.

If you click on the bold link "overpaid" in my previous post, then it will explain slightly better than I have. I'm also pretty sure that as it's their fault in the first instance, they are not allowed to add interest or administration charges to the amount they claim you owed at the time of leaving employment. At most, if the "In Good Faith" argument isn't accepted, all you would be liable for would be the overpayment itself - payable in manageable installments according to your circumstances/income.

Hi paminn. Could you re-post the second document please as it's not clickable. Thanks.

I've had a read through this thread and I sypmathise with you Daz. I used to work in Payroll for the Govt. and something struck me from what I read in your post (quoted above). One of the agreement conditions of a staff account or season ticket loan, etc. would be that any outstanding balance at the termination of employment would be deducted from final salary/wages payment. It's the company's payroll department's responsibility to deduct whatever is outstanding before they send your final payment out. If your company didn't deduct what they alledge that you owe from your final salary/wages payment, you can reasonably claim that you received the final payment "in good faith" - it was their mistake, not yours. I have seen a few cases where this has been accepted as a reasonable argument and the amount owed has been written off as it was a payroll error and not your fault. As you were ill at the time, I think you could very reasonably argue that you were not in any fit state to be able to check amounts going into your account and that you relied on your old company to do their job properly, without making payroll errors. It's their fault that you were overpaid (if indeed you were) and even if nothing else works and you find that you have to repay them, they are obliged to consider/accept any reasonable repayment from you, according to your circumstances as they are responsible for the initial error. That could be as little as £1 a month. Worth considering - if regulations have changed since I last worked in payroll, I'm sure someone here will be able to advise. Best of luck mate.

Best of luck with that. I sent mine to Lowell on the 5th. I've heard nothing back from them yet of course, but the phone calls have now stopped! Something I've started doing is printing "By Royal Mail Recorded Delivery" at the top of all letters. Might seem a bit OTT but as it makes it completely clear, it serves as a reminder to the recipient that you will have a record of sending/delivery. The person dealing with the letter might not be the person who opened it and passed it on. I don't know if it would make much difference, but any little tip for trying to discourage the chancers is worthwhile. Do make sure that you check the Royal Mail track & trace site in a day or two as well. You can then either print or save a copy of the proof of delivery and signature (Ctrl + Print Screen, then paste into a photo editing program and save). The tracking page is here: http://track.royalmail.com/portal/rm/track;jsessionid=LQEO02WYP4NNMFB2IGJFGAQ?catId=22700601&emt=emt&track=track&default=default&imageRootPath=&loc=en_GB&keyname=track_home&gear=track

Also make sure that EVERYTHING you send is by recorded delivery, whether to the claimants or to the courts. It may not come to it, but if you do need to prove dates of posting/receipt of communications it can occasionally make a difference.

Firstly Garlando85, try to stay calm and don't worry too much. The above posts might seem a bit daunting at first, but all these people are genuinely eager and happy to help - it might seem like information overload at the moment! The collective knowledge, advice and support here is second to none. So that people are able to give you advice in the order in which you need it, try to set out the sequence of events in a chronological order and post copies of the letters that have been worrying you in this thread (remember to remove personal details though - account number, name, etc.) The more organised the information you give everyone here, the better prepared everyone is to give you information and advice back - in the order in which you need it. Hope that helps and best of luck

Nice one Dotty and thanks. Could you please clarify which is true though: (From your letter) "The copy of the executed agreement need not be an exact copy but it must be a ‘true copy’ and not some reconstruction of what the original might have been and it must contain the same terms as the original." or (from Harassed Senior's advice) It is permissable for them to send a reconstituted Agreement to answer the CCA request. Or are they saying the same thing? Or is the crucial point, "might have been"? I'm a bit confused now... My apologies.

Cheeky bugger ;-) Yes, keep us posted BF and the best of luck to you! (make sure you keep copies of all correspondence, both sent and recieved)

Cheers HS. I can do the work of two men. Usually Laurel & Hardy

From Harassed Senior's advice, I would suggest that the letter is worded to read: Dear Sir/Madam Account In Dispute Ref: Thank you for your letter dated xx/xx/xx and the (photocopied?) documents, the contents of which have been duly noted. Subsequent to the above, in all good faith I believe the "agreement" sent to be a reconstituted copy, rather than the original as I requested in my letter of xx/xx/xx. I now require you to disclose, in full, the documents from which you reconstituted this "agreement". Please confirm in writing within x days of the date of this letter that you do indeed hold an original copy of the alleged Consumer Credit Agreement. If you do intend to send a reconstituted copy of the CCA you must declare the reason why it has been reconstituted, if the original exists and in what form (microfiche) etc. Furthermore you should be aware that a creditor is not permitted to take any action against an account whilst it remains in dispute. The lack of a true credit agreement is a very clear dispute and as such the following applies: * You may not demand any payment on the account, nor am I obliged to offer any payment to you. * You may not add further interest or any charges to the account. * You may not pass the account to a third party. * You may not register any information in respect of the account with any credit reference agency. * You may not issue a default notice related to the account. I reserve the right to report any actions to the contrary to any such regulatory authorities as I see fit. If you are unable to furnish me with the requested documents, you should inform me of such in writing, acknowledge that this matter is now closed and that you will not contact me again. I would appreciate your due diligence in this matter and await your written response. Yours faithfully,