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Prove your identity! Ambrose Wilson.


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I found an entry recently by Ambrose Wilson on my credit record. The amount was "settled" therefore shouldn't affect me. However, I have never in my life dealt with them. So I sent off a SAR along with £10.

 

They have sent me a form to complete, apparently to "satisfy them to my identity". Rubbish.

 

The form asks for:

 

  • My full name, address, post code, date of birth - all of which I provided in my letter to them. The address is the same address that they have attached in my credit file.

 

  • It also asks for telephone number which I won't provide them with because a) it's a new number thus couldn't possibly satisfy my identity as they would not know it, and b) I want them to stop processing my data, not add to it.

 

  • They want to know who I have traded with in their cataloge company. I clearly told them in my letter I have never dealt with ANY catalogue company. In this field they have put marks in the boxes of FOUR catalogue companies I have never heard of!

 

  • It asks if I have ever visited their websites and if so, which ones - again, how on earth can this prove my identity?!

 

  • They want to know which Debt Collection agents I have received correspondance from - none - which they know because the debt is "settled", and again - what has this got to do with my identity?

 

  • Asking if I have applied for employment with any of their companies - I haven't but again - this has nothing to do with my identity

 

  • They want a witness to complete the form verifying who I am - and this form asks for a hell of a lot of personal details from the witness.

Now I am not satisfied that they need all of that information to satisfy an identity check. They have pre-marked FOUR boxes on the form of catalogue companies under ones they ask that I have traded with - I have traded with NONE of them. I have literally copied and pasted their entry of my credit file on to the letter I sent. I have sent the letter from the address they attached in my credit file. That should be enough.

They saw fit to attach credit to a person whose identity they now question? Not one of my personal details differ from their entry in my report till now. Same name, address, date of birth etc.

 

I'll send them a copy of my birth certificate and a recent letter to my home if they want to check my identity. Most of the information they have asked for is not related to proving an identity, and I don't trust them.

 

Suggestions?

My advice is based on my opinion, my experience and my education. I do not profess to be an expert in any given field. If requested, I will provide a link where possible to relevant legislation or guidance, so that advice provided can be confirmed and I do encourage others to follow those links for their own peace of mind. Sometimes my advice is not what people necesserily want to hear, but I will advise on facts as I know them - although it may not be what a person wants to hear it helps to know where you stand. Advice on the internet should never be a substitute for advice from your own legal professional with full knowledge of your individual case.

 

 

Please do not seek, offer or produce advice on a consumer issue via private message; it is against

forum rules to advise via private message, therefore pm's requesting private advice will not receive a response.

(exceptions for prior authorisation)

 

 

 

 

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They have a right to ask for proof of your identity for an SAR but this is OTT. The normal proof of ID is a copy of a passport or driving licence and utility bill. Tell than that if they don't send a SAR after they receive that, you will make a formal complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office.

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Yes, send them a letter thanking them for their unlawful request for private personal and confidential information with which you will be available on the following dates to attend court and show the DJ their unlawful requests and counter sue for damages.....chancers.

 

Ambrose Wilson remind me of rice pudding, and the similarities between them and the once 'Infant nutrition' company are very evident!

Who ever heard of someone getting a job at the Jobcentre? The unemployed are sent there as penance for their sins, not to help them find work!

 

 

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  • 5 weeks later...

Well, it took a few letters to yield any results including a warning of intended civil action under ss9 of S7 if they failed to comply (yes, I can send a threat-o-gram too!), but I have got the information they hold, which is rather interesting as it turns out.

 

When I say "interesting" I mean that in the course of our communications they absolutely insisted I had signed a credit agreement. In response to my dispute they sent me a credit agreement which - would you believe - doesn't contain my signature. The covering letter stated that they hoped this "clarified matters".

 

Well they kinda threw the toys out of the pram by responding with an exceptionally snotty letter when I told them that actually, it failed to clarify anything at all.

 

The documents they eventually supplied have the computer records which show that they had "No credit agreement available". Fascinating.

 

Can't quite fathom though why they were so desperate to convince me that I had signed an agreement when there is no outstanding balance showing on the account. I assume they were just sending me generic letters which are usually reserved for when credit is due.

My advice is based on my opinion, my experience and my education. I do not profess to be an expert in any given field. If requested, I will provide a link where possible to relevant legislation or guidance, so that advice provided can be confirmed and I do encourage others to follow those links for their own peace of mind. Sometimes my advice is not what people necesserily want to hear, but I will advise on facts as I know them - although it may not be what a person wants to hear it helps to know where you stand. Advice on the internet should never be a substitute for advice from your own legal professional with full knowledge of your individual case.

 

 

Please do not seek, offer or produce advice on a consumer issue via private message; it is against

forum rules to advise via private message, therefore pm's requesting private advice will not receive a response.

(exceptions for prior authorisation)

 

 

 

 

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Quite how a company can adjust your credit file when you've had no previous correspondence with then and who are not able to produce a signed credit agreement and seem not to have much/if any details of the original account is beyond me and whilst it may say settled on your credit file I wouldn't want it there at all.

 

The amount of information they initially requested from you in invasive and nothing more. Thankfully you're savvy enough to know the rules of the game but there no doubt others that are having the same issues with Ambrose that are muhc less savvy and are giving them more than what they should. It's almost as if they're data harvesting as opposed to fulfilling their obligations under the Data Protection Act.

I reside in Dawlish Warren but am not a rabbit.

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Guest Mrs Hobbit

Have you ever had a catalogue account with one of their subsidiaries?...

 

Maybe you bought something and paid cash for it, or rang up and ordered something over the phone and paid for it immediately. They give you an account number and notify the CRA's once they assign you an account number even if it is not a credit account.

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Erika

 

Ambrose Wilson Limited is a sister company to J D Williams & Company Limited, the UK's leading direct home shopping company, operating over 20 successful catalogue brands.

 

J D Williams & Company Limited is part of N Brown Group plc.

 

If you have every requested a catalogue from any of the companies with the JD Williams Group or N Brown Group plc, the request for a catalogue (even if you do not buy anything or buy and pay with a credit or debit card) will automatically mean you are applying for a credit account with them. Few people will realise this until they buy some goods and get a statement allowing them to pay for the goods over an extended period.

 

This is the same if you apply for a catalogue with Next or Shop Direct (Littlewoods) and I don't think anyone has every signed an agreement with any of them.

 

This is from N Brown Group plc's web site:

 

We are a leading direct home shopping retailer and financial services company

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And this is a full list of its brands:

 

fashionworld.co.uk

simplybe.co.uk

simplyyours.co.uk

naturallyclose.co.uk

classicconfidence.co.uk

newnow.co.uk

vivaladiva.com

jacamo.co.uk

thebrilliantgiftshop.co.uk

 

 

jdwilliams.co.uk

ambrosewilson.com

oxendales.com

oxendales.ie

fiftyplus.co.uk

shoetailor.com

shapelyfigures.com

classicdetail.co.uk

premierman.com

homeshoppingdirect.com

inspirationalhome.co.uk

discountworld.com

houseofbath.co.uk

crazyclearance.co.uk

marisota.co.uk

homeessentials.co.uk

williamsandbrown.co.uk

thatsmystyle.co.uk

 

heathervalley.com

specialcollection.com

nightingales.com

grayandosbourn.co.uk

julipa.com

 

Do any of them ring a bell.

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That would make sense as the docs Amrose sent show a £125 credit limit. Nothing ordered and the only payment made is the £10 for the SAR but it doesn't make sense because I have never dealt with them or any of their sister companies.

 

They sent me a full list of their brands and I've never ordered from any of them. The only catalogues I have ever ordered from is Avon and kleeneze when they come to the door. Never applied for a catalogue in my life. Only other catalogue I have is the one you can pick up at Argos.

 

Next was also on my credit file - they admitted straight away they held no details on me and returned my £10.

My advice is based on my opinion, my experience and my education. I do not profess to be an expert in any given field. If requested, I will provide a link where possible to relevant legislation or guidance, so that advice provided can be confirmed and I do encourage others to follow those links for their own peace of mind. Sometimes my advice is not what people necesserily want to hear, but I will advise on facts as I know them - although it may not be what a person wants to hear it helps to know where you stand. Advice on the internet should never be a substitute for advice from your own legal professional with full knowledge of your individual case.

 

 

Please do not seek, offer or produce advice on a consumer issue via private message; it is against

forum rules to advise via private message, therefore pm's requesting private advice will not receive a response.

(exceptions for prior authorisation)

 

 

 

 

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The records show how - internet, which also explains the lack of a credit agreement signed by me. What it doesn't explain is how the hell an account can be opened just like that, and it certainly wasn't opened by me.

My advice is based on my opinion, my experience and my education. I do not profess to be an expert in any given field. If requested, I will provide a link where possible to relevant legislation or guidance, so that advice provided can be confirmed and I do encourage others to follow those links for their own peace of mind. Sometimes my advice is not what people necesserily want to hear, but I will advise on facts as I know them - although it may not be what a person wants to hear it helps to know where you stand. Advice on the internet should never be a substitute for advice from your own legal professional with full knowledge of your individual case.

 

 

Please do not seek, offer or produce advice on a consumer issue via private message; it is against

forum rules to advise via private message, therefore pm's requesting private advice will not receive a response.

(exceptions for prior authorisation)

 

 

 

 

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  • It asks if I have ever visited their websites and if so, which ones - again, how on earth can this prove my identity?!

 

They want your ip address!!! Broadband internet connections use a static ip address, the ip address never changes for as long as you live at that postal address and subscribe to the same internet service provider.

 

Websites can automatically log ip addresses of all visitors. An ip trace will show which town you live in, your screen resolution, your computer operating system, your internet service provider and which browser you are running ( internet explorer, firefox etc ).

 

It wasn't my intention to rattle you. Unfortunately that's the world we live in.

]

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They want your ip address!!! Broadband internet connections use a static ip address, the ip address never changes for as long as you live at that postal address and subscribe to the same internet service provider.
Not all, I can legitimately change mine a hundred times a day if I wished. Besides there's enough free software out there and proxy hosting sites which enable people to create 'false' computer identities and locations. http://hotspotshield.com/
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The records show how - internet, which also explains the lack of a credit agreement signed by me. What it doesn't explain is how the hell an account can be opened just like that, and it certainly wasn't opened by me.

 

Did you enter a competition with them, say a Free Draw with a cash prize?

 

I remember a couple of years ago (I think it was one of the Shop Direct brands) attracting criticism from the FSA about writing to people with details of a Free Prize Draw in which you could win up to £20,000.

 

What many didn't realise was that by entering the draw, which could also be done online) they would open a credit account for you. The person who made the complaint did not realise this as they never received anything further from them and only be came aware when, like yourself, checking their credit file.

 

The small print about opening the credit account appeared on the reverse of the letter which if you filled in and returned to them meant you had no reference to this as it was printed on the reverse of the section you had to return.

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They want your ip address!!! Broadband internet connections use a static ip address, the ip address never changes for as long as you live at that postal address and subscribe to the same internet service provider.

 

Websites can automatically log ip addresses of all visitors. An ip trace will show which town you live in, your screen resolution, your computer operating system, your internet service provider and which browser you are running ( internet explorer, firefox etc ).

 

It wasn't my intention to rattle you. Unfortunately that's the world we live in.

 

You should ask them for the ip address they have on record, see if it matches the ip address of you computer.

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Did you enter a competition with them, say a Free Draw with a cash prize?

 

I remember a couple of years ago (I think it was one of the Shop Direct brands) attracting criticism from the FSA about writing to people with details of a Free Prize Draw in which you could win up to £20,000.

 

What many didn't realise was that by entering the draw, which could also be done online) they would open a credit account for you. The person who made the complaint did not realise this as they never received anything further from them and only be came aware when, like yourself, checking their credit file.

 

The small print about opening the credit account appeared on the reverse of the letter which if you filled in and returned to them meant you had no reference to this as it was printed on the reverse of the section you had to return.

 

That is definately a possibility, I am normally meticulous about ensuring I read small print, having been stung before just signing things without reading them, but at the time the account shows as opened, I wasn't so careful about reading fine details. That is likely all that it is. I have entered free prize draws doing surveys so I suppose that is probably what it was - and it's probably the same with next. Thanks Blondie. I was starting to worry someone had my identity but couldn't figure out why someone would assume my identity and not spend a penny! :oops:

My advice is based on my opinion, my experience and my education. I do not profess to be an expert in any given field. If requested, I will provide a link where possible to relevant legislation or guidance, so that advice provided can be confirmed and I do encourage others to follow those links for their own peace of mind. Sometimes my advice is not what people necesserily want to hear, but I will advise on facts as I know them - although it may not be what a person wants to hear it helps to know where you stand. Advice on the internet should never be a substitute for advice from your own legal professional with full knowledge of your individual case.

 

 

Please do not seek, offer or produce advice on a consumer issue via private message; it is against

forum rules to advise via private message, therefore pm's requesting private advice will not receive a response.

(exceptions for prior authorisation)

 

 

 

 

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That is definately a possibility, I am normally meticulous about ensuring I read small print, having been stung before just signing things without reading them, but at the time the account shows as opened, I wasn't so careful about reading fine details. That is likely all that it is. I have entered free prize draws doing surveys so I suppose that is probably what it was - and it's probably the same with next. Thanks Blondie. I was starting to worry someone had my identity but couldn't figure out why someone would assume my identity and not spend a penny! :oops:

 

Glad I can help, however I think you should write to Ambrose Wilson with your concerns and ask them exactly how they obtained your details, it could be something as simple as entering a competition however for your own sake I would get it confirmed.

 

I take it the account was opened some time ago? Don't want to spook you but one of the patterns for identity fraud is someone stealing your details and opening an insignificant account which they don't use or spend small amounts on that will not attract much attention.

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Guest Mrs Hobbit

So right, this is how we endd up an account at 192.com with phone calls to Romania amounting to some £290.00, discovered during the ID fiasco. They helped themselves to our bank account to finance this. I remeber when I questioned the £10.00 withdrawals at the hole in the wall in various towns and the bank trying to convince me it was me doing this. In the end my passport proved I wasn't in the country at the time a lot of these transactions happened. I am still living with some of the repercussions of this theft.

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So right, this is how we endd up an account at 192.com with phone calls to Romania amounting to some £290.00, discovered during the ID fiasco. They helped themselves to our bank account to finance this. I remeber when I questioned the £10.00 withdrawals at the hole in the wall in various towns and the bank trying to convince me it was me doing this. In the end my passport proved I wasn't in the country at the time a lot of these transactions happened. I am still living with some of the repercussions of this theft.

 

Most likely. They start out with small amounts, see if you pick it up - which you obviously did but your bank would not have it. Then after a period will try one more time so see if the payment will be processed or stopped and if this goes through ok will hit you with the big one.

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Guest Mrs Hobbit

There is a lot more to this story but try a DD for £3,400.00 a month, and the bank having the hide to say we set this up and then they alloiwed another such payment to happen. Now people know why I will not allow a DD set up on anything and the new bank is under written warning if a DD happens they will be held responsible for any such payment going out of the account. I am digressing, my apologies to the OP.

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