We are getting reports of people receiving spam emails to their email addresses whcih they have used to sign up to the CAG. We are checking but it seems that our email database may have been hacked. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to you. You should always be very careful when opening emails - and especially be careful about clicking links contained in them. We'll report back here as we find out any more.

Hello Everyone. First time poster in need of some help and advice. I was recently accused of shoplifting in Sainsbury's. Here's the story: an off-duty employee, who just happened to be shopping in the store, incorrectly claimed she saw me trying to steal some items and she reported me to the store security. The security guard (accompanied by several 'burly' male members of staff) asked me to leave and escorted me off the premises. I attempted to remonstrate with them but they weren't interested and feeling completely surprised and intimidated I left. The police were not called, my details were not taken, and no further action was taken. It ended there and then……or so I thought….. From that day on, I always get followed by security in almost all major shopping chains up and down the country from London to Aberdeen. It's very easy to spot and I'm certainly not being paranoid. The process is almost always the same - it usually starts with an announcement over the speaker system when I walk in (e.g. "Can the Store Manager please come to the security desk" or some variation) and then I get followed around the shop often culminating with large groups of staff standing next to the exit as I leave, I assume, waiting for me to do a runner or something. The whole experience makes me feel sick every time as I hate the idea that I'm thought of as a shoplifter. I don't have the confidence to confront them either. I've also been followed at Airports and Kings Cross train station amongst other places. Am I an some sort of UK National Shoplifting Database? Does the database have a name and someone I could contact? Can I get removed from it? Where would I even start with any of this? I'd appreciate any help you could offer. Best regards, Garabaldi

Hello, my name has been put on the CUE database by OCTAGON this is for life. My crime was to use a comparison site to compare quotes, i did this about 50-60 times and the reason was to check how they arrived at their prices. I searched all types including 1- all the different vol excess about 6. 2- declared mileage about 5, 3- different types of cover about 3, 4- different addresses about 4 , 5- what date to start ins. as they differ a lot, so does the price and also a host of other type searches. To be honest i was trying to get the cheapest but also curious as to how they arrived at their prices, hence so many searches. Finally i picked Octagon and telephoned them about the online quote , they refused to insure me saying over 50 searches was far too much as in their eyes it appeared fraudulent and I was the type of person that could lie. They were especially concerned about the 4 diff family addresses I used, but I explained that my family was present and wanted to know the price diff and it was entirely innocent. I declared my correct address at the time of submitting as with all my other details, in fact it was the most expensive. They didnt want to know me and said were not insuring me and putting my name on the CUE database What i want to know is can they legally do this on a whim and can i force them to remove, are there financial repercussions to sue them. Is there somewhere that specialises in helping me? or can YOU? Many thanks....waiting and suffering PP oh ive written to them and they have closed the matter

Hi all Hopefully this is the correct place to post my problem.Sorry it is a bit long winded but am at my wits end now!! My current van insurance policy began in Febuary with Commercial Vehicle Direct(CVD) and underwritten by Ageas. In May I received a letter from the motor insurance database(MID) to say my van was not on the database and for me to take action. I immediately phoned CVD who told me the problem would be sorted out in the next few days so I thought nothing of it. I was pulled over by the police in June during the day because my reg plate came up as uninsured on the police computer.I was held in the police car while they phoned through to CVD to confirm that the van was insured. I immediately phoned up CVD and was told once again the problem would be resolved.I thought OK its probably an oversight and will get sorted. I came home on Monday to find a government wheelclamping contractors large yellow sticker on my windscreen warning me to insure my vehicle or be fined/clamped/seized. So I phoned CVD on the Tuesday morning and they tell me it will be sorted in 48 hours. 48 hours were up this morning and still I am not on the database! I phone back again.They tell me it will be sorted at some point in the next few days. I have phoned Ageas the underwriters today and they have told me I will be on the database by Saturday or the will speak to their IT department. I really feel I am being fobbed off everytime. I believe it is a legal obligation for the insurance company to register my details on the database and according to the lady on the MID phoneline are subject to a "subtantial fine" if they dont within a certain time. Meanwhile DVLA have issued me with a £100 fine! If my details aren't on the database by Saturday I dont really know what the next step is for me. CVD and Ageas are not fulfilling their side of the contract as far as I am concerned If anyone can shed any light on where I can go from here I would really appreciate the advice. Sorry for the long post but feeling very stressed by this right now

The rogue landlord database below lists every prosecution under the Housing Act 2004 between 2006 and 2014 - although only half of the landlords are named . It is compiled by English and Welsh courts for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) but there is a considerable amount of missing data. Just click here check out your landlord

I received a snail mail from a pension company. The envelope was empty, probably because it wasn't sealed properly .. or so I thought... I rang the sender to get the letter re-posted. The company would not resend the letter without a national insurance number. It seems a little odd that they can't trace a letter using a name address and postcode, even though they already sent it!! What if this was a spam complaint under the data protection act? .... The sender seems genuine. It could simply be an awful database. But it could also be a good phishing game. Sending empty envelopes is brilliant. Not everyone would throw it away. A percentage would be curious and investigate. All laws are covered when the customer releases personal info of thier own accord so some people would get caught.

Some questions: RLP do make reference to the infamous database of apprehended shoplifters (or attempted shoplifters) which they claim to pass on to employers. This is presumably a scare tactic to frighten those into paying the speculative invoice and thus removing their name from this database. Whilst I know due to the DPA the individual must grant authority for a third party to gain access I wanted to query whether this does in fact happen. I know that in certain professions when applying for a job or even to register with recruitment consultants they will ask/mention they will check your details against certain databases for any criminal/cival convictions, ongoing disputes, bankruptcy and a myriad of other situations. Often the prospective employee will have little choice but to grant access (otherwise arouse greater suspicion) or in some cases its implied in terms and conditions and condition is granted by way of exception. So - how possible is it that the RLP database could be accessed and would in fact harm the individuals prospects. My belief is that RLP are an immoral organisation and I am truly glad these forums exist to arm those caught up in their web with as much defence as possible. However it does need to be clear to the individuals any risks involved - great or small and for now or in their futures - to the "ignore or one-line-denial" approach. Second question - is an apprehended individual obliged to give their name and/or show ID to store security. What would happen if they refused - police called I'm sure - but would that increase risk of criminal proceedings from the store themselves (I doubt). But would the police be required to pass on ID to the store - or has the individual the right to ask the police not to tell the store - unless they formally request to press charges. Thank you all.

18 months ago my car insurance company paid out to a third party after they had claimed my already dented car had hit their car. I had firmly denied this to my car insurance company at the time and only learnt of the payout 6 months later when my renewal price was hiked by 50% - roughly the cost of the payout. After complaining they belatedly examined my car and eventually admitted they were wrong to pay out. They gave me back two years no claims bonus and mypremium was cut back to what it had been the previous year. 12 months on when talking to them about this year's renewal I discovered that this non incident is still on their database. I wasn’t planning to renew with them again but shouldn’t they have wiped this from their database? I assume that this is the same database that other insurance companies access? Am I obliged to declare this non incident when declaring previous claims/convictions to other insurers? This would obviously lead to a hike inthe new premium. If I didn’t would my new insurance be invalidated in the event of another claim and would I be committing a crime? Of course I can complain again but I learnt last time that this is not a swift process and my renewal is due shortly.

A NOTORIOUS car clamper who racially abused a man is the boss of a new parking enforcement firm in East Yorkshire. Despite having a criminal conviction, the Mail can reveal Peter Del Grosso could have access to the DVLA database, meaning he can find out the names and addresses of drivers he fines. Del Grosso, who is no longer clamping, became director of a new company, Auto Security Limited, three months ago – around the same time wheel-clamping was outlawed in England. Auto Security Ltd is a member of the British Parking Association (BPA), which would allow Del Grosso access to records kept by the DVLA. http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Convicted-clamper-Del-Grosso-access-DVLA-database/story-18076684-detail/story.html

Another indictment of the BPA's poor control over its own code of practice -which is itself half hearted, self serving and inadequate anyway http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/business/dvla-bans-excel-from-database-1-5038603

Hi, I've recently come to renew my insurance policy and have discovered that my previous insurer registered a no fault claim on the insurance database. This is having a substantial effect on my insurance premiums (additional 150-200 per year or 20%) and I would like to know whether it is possible to challenge this record and have it amended/removed? I understand that the current record indicates the following: theft claim non fault non recovered What actually happened is that my car was stolen from outside my house and then subsequently recovered a couple of days later. When it was stolen, I informed the police and started the process of making a claim. As soon as the vehicle was recovered, I contacted my insurer and assessed whether I could cancel the claim without prejudice to my insurance. Since there was no losses at their end, they cancelled my claim without it affecting my NCD. I personally paid the recovery fee to the police, which was the only cost of the incident - a [problem] in itself, but that's another story... When I came to renew after this (with a different insurer), I seem to recall there was initially an issue with the previous claim being left open but this was cleared up and I believed that was the end of it. The new insurer was totally aware of this and was satisfied that the incident should not be recorded or have an effect on my insurance premiums. Wind forward another year and I'm trying to renew with a third insurer, only to find out that the information is showing on the DB as above. From my point of view, there are two factual inaccuracies in the way this is recorded: 1. The claim was cancelled and there is no indication of this (personally, I feel quite strongly that it should not really be on there at all) 2. The vehicle was recovered. Would I be able to challenge this record on these grounds - I appreciate 1 may be more difficult than 2? If so, how do you go about this - through CUE or the previous insurer? I understand that this is not an isolated incident and that insurers are regularly passing information through to this database where a claim is not actually made. However, it's sickening that you go out of your way to avoid making a claim/incurring costs for your insurer and get slapped with a 20% hike anyway! In the meantime, I have little option but to pay the increased premium, as the vehicle would be uninsured and I am not able to SORN it. If I can get the record removed/amended, will I be able to claim back the difference to my insurance premiums? Thanks, James

I am a student currently studying law and want to be a solicitor one day. I have been so stressed out this year with the huge work load and exams and feel stressed and disorientated all the time. I have trouble sleeping because of the stress and have been taking sleeping pills to help. About a month ago I went to Superdrug to buy a lipstick for a friend's birthday. I felt woozy (possibly from the sleeping pills possibly from just stress) and I started walking out of the shop carrying the item without having paid by mistake. The security guard on the door asked me what I was doing and I instantly apologised. He asked me to accompany him to a staff room which I did. I was terrified. I apologised profusely and explained it was an accident. He said he was going to "give me the benefit of the doubt" and accept that it was an accident. He said that that together with the fact that I had been "polite and respectful to him" meant that he was not going to call the police. This was an enormous relief to me because I was afraid being accused of theft would mean I would be unable to qualify as a solicitor one day. He asked me to write down my name, address and date of birth, which I did on the back on an envelope he gave me. He did not mention any banning orders or anything and did not ask me to sign anything. Then I left. About a week later I received a letter from RLP (a company I had never heard of) asking for £137. I looked this company up online and read a lot of news reports about how their actions are controversial and they are just out to make profit etc. However, I understand how civil procedure works and understand that Superdrug did suffer a loss (in staff resources, etc) because of my actions, even if they weren't deliberate. I have read many forums saying they take no action if you don't pay, but would still hate to suffer court proceedings. I went onto RLP's website straight away and paid the full amount. I know people say you don't have to but I thought £137 was a small price to pay to avoid being implemented in court proceedings which I was afraid would damage my career prospects. However, I have since read further stuff on the internet about this company and their "database of dishonest individuals". People say that when you pay you are admitting guilt and then they put you on this database. I'm now terrified that by paying so willingly I have made a huge mistake and in effect admitted myself as a thief. Is this something that my future prospective employers could find out about? Could the Solicitors Regulation Authority refuse to accept me because of this? I have thought about this everyday since it happened. I don't want to tell any of my family because they are all so supportive of my studying to become a solicitor and have gone to so much expense over it. I'm terrified I will disappoint them if I tell them I have possibly wasted all their money by making such a stupid mistake. My logic tells me that RLP just uses this database as a way to make money and no employer, nor the SRA is ever likely to find out about it. And even if they do, they surely won't persecute me for a simple mistake which I apologised and made amends for. Especially as no police were involved. I just can't shake this feeling that I have doomed my career though. I feel sick every time I think about this. I have been to my GP and explained my feeling to her together with my stress over exams and she has put me on a course of anti-depressants as a result. I can't sleep properly at night and am worried my exam performance is going to suffer. Can someone please help me and give me some advice as to what the possible ramifications of this are likely to be? I'm desperate to put this whole incident behind me and move on with my life with a view for a positive future.