uk debt in oz

[nickpage]

I moved to Australia in 2000 from the Uk. Had a credit card bill of 1500 pounds which I paid minumum payent till I went back to the Uk for a few months and paid it fully off.

I tried to cancel it but the credit company told me not to as I was a great customer who never missed a payment. I kept it and owed nothing. Anyway had finance problems in 2004 and started using it again. Credit Company knew I was in Australia and I gave them my aussie address as I had every intention of paying it. I quickly got into debt and owed about 4 and half thousand pounds. I continued to pay from Australia up until April of 2006 and just couldn’t afford it. We were moving and I stopped paying.

I had a whole group of english friends over here who had come here with huge debts and they thought I was an complete idoit to worry about it.

I was worried I would be in serious trouble, etc, waited for them to track me down but never heard anything.

Now a debt collection company is hassling my parents in the uk and I got a txt on my mobile from some aussie lawyers. I have been living in fear for years for this day and was very careful to make it very hard to trace me. My name is not on anything. The debt is four and a half years old and the 4 and a half grand is probably massive now. I am not a person that wanted to skip his debts. I even paid of a ex girlfirend’s 5000 k once as she was being hassled by debt collectors that was before I moved to Australia.

I simply don’t have the means to pay this debt. I don’t own anything and am barely make ends meet. I doubt if theres a CCJ out against me as the credit company knew I was living in Australia. My partner had a very high job in Baycorp and told me all about the scare tactics debt collectors use.

[ozzyboy]

Hi Nick,

 

OK - So what are you asking? You seem to have answered all your own questions already.

• Can the Aussie lawyers do anything to you in Aus without a valid UK judgement? No
  
• Can they try to make you bankrupt in Aus? No.
  
• Should they be contacting your parents? No - and they should follow the advice already given on this site to complain about this harassment to the appropriate body.
  
• Should you listen to your partner re the scare tactics used by debt collectors? Yes - that's all they are!
  
• Should you worry about this? No
  
  

[nickpage]

Thanks for your reply. I am the kind of person that worries. The kind of stories my wife told me about debt collecters really opened up my eyes to their tactics. They prey on people's fear. She laughs at the amount i owe and tells me stories of people who owe millions. They are worth chasing through the courts.

[coledog]

Can you tell us who the DCA is - guuday and welcome, by the way.

[nickpage]

I deleted the txt message in a panic. I looked at their website and it was Some law firm that has debt collectors written all over it. I was in suhc a panic that I cant even remember the name. It was a very vague TXT message on my phone. Didnt mention me by name. Just to call and a reference number. I though maybe my parents gave them my mobile but they insist they didn't.

 

The credit card debt was with Barclaycard.

Edited November 9, 2010 by nickpage

[nickpage]

Just out of interest who buys the UK credit card debts here in OZ

[ozzyboy]

Judging by past threads.. extremely stupid DCAs who are too greedy to realise that what they think is the key to mega profits is actually a sack of very old lemons.

 

Pie anyone? Beer?

[ozzyboy]

Ahhh....Barclaycard.

 

Now I wonder if that one's got down under by way of Canada too!

 

This DCA wasn't out in WA by any chance?

[coledog]

 

Some law firm that has debt collectors written all over it

 

Wasn't Turnbull Rutherford or HFO was it?

 

All a UK DCA can do is to harass you and make threats but this may not stop them trying. If they attempt to obtain a CCJ for a previous UK address this can be Set Aside.

[sillygirl1]

If it is HFO and Bryan Carter or Turnbull Rutherford NONE of them have any jurisdiction in Australia. They cannot get a CCJ here and 'immediately' transfer the debt to your local court - if they did a LOT of questions would be asked of THEM. This is one of the latest lies in a low life industry.

 

Your parents should complain to the Office of Fair Trading, Trading Standards and the local police about the harrassment from the company involved and they can also get their local MP involved.

 

The depths that some DCAs go to defy belief.

[nickpage]

So my understanding is if my debt has been sold onto a debt collection agency over here, they bought a shed load of UK debt via Canada for a very cheap rate.

My debt was 5000 POUND, nearly five years of non payment. Probably 20k australian now. They would have bought it for next to nothing.

They use legal firms that have debt collection agencies attached to them to scare the crap out of you. Your first reaction, like mine is to panic without knowing your rights. A lot of people would immediately contact them and be offered a way to pay without legal action.

They would tell you how serious this is and the consequences of not paying, bla, bla,, bla and naturally you fall for it.

If only a small proportion contact them and agree to some sort of payment they have made a mammoth profit. I work in the legal industry and know that any reputable lawyer firm would not be sending anonymous txt messages.

[nickpage]

I found a funny link by somebody who was having hassle for something on the same lines as mine and by the same people. I remember them now. Can I post the name of the firm. They begin with M and they operate in Victoria

[ozzyboy]

So my understanding is if my debt has been sold onto a debt collection agency over here, they bought a shed load of UK debt via Canada for a very cheap rate.

That's certainly one scenario - the Canada connection relates to an earlier Australian DCA who was chasing a load of alleged UK Barclaycard debt who they had, in turn, bought from a Canadian company who no doubt realised that they were holding a proverbial pig in a poke. Then the Aussie DCA came up against a load of informed CAGGERS and it went pear-shaped for them very quickly. I assume you've read the first thread on this forum?

 

As you say, it's all about bluff and profits - if they buy 100 debts for pennies and manage to con maybe 10 of those people into paying them thousands, it's easy money just for making a few threatening phone calls.

 

Don't get scared, get informed and then get angry. Very angry.

Edited November 10, 2010 by ozzyboy
Typo

[nickpage]

The firm is M ???????? LAWYERS in melbourne which are owned by a national debt collection agency called Pr?????????. So I am pretty certain it's benn sold over here.

[ozzyboy]

Melbourne Maggots?

[ozzyboy]

As long as you don't write anything defamatory you'll be OK to name the DCA and their legal eagles.

 

The only reason that some of the Australian posts about one particular DCA in WA who, like Voldemort, is never referred to by name, is that they threatened to take legal action against another forum when things got a little heated and their somewhat curious business practices were openly criticised. The other forum rolled over and shut down the thread and so it moved to CAG.

 

Their lackeys then spent some time trolling on this forum and generally annoying everyone - mostly becasue they weren't very good at it and wouldn't play nicely when they were uncovered.

 

So just be aware that the power of CAG extends down under and don't give out too many of your own details as there are frequently a few "guests" reading the posts.

[nickpage]

Mendlesons lawyers but it you look at their site they have some debt collection company called Pruka that they belong to. Have seen a funny post with a letter that was written to them complaining of being hassled.

[dx100uk]

two threads merged

please keep to one thread per issue

 

dx

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