Wetcloths advice.

[ashio83]

Hi everyone, let me start at the beginning.

 

Today I received an 'Important: Address Verification' letter from Wescot. It states they are trying to contact 'My Name' and have been provided with this address. They obviously know it's me and are just trying to get me to confirm it to save them doing extra legwork.

 

The thing is, I really am not sure what it could be for. A quick Google search landed me on these great forums.

 

I have decided to be pro active and I'm here seeking advice. So far I have worked out firstly to not contact them, but to wait for them to send a second letter with details of the debt so I can see their hand.

Secondly when they do respond I should send them a 'CCA request' letter, although I'm not sure what this should contain exactly with regards to content and formatting, after this I'm stumped and need some advice and direction.

 

I would be grateful for any advice and guidance at all.

 

Thanks, Ash.

[citizenB]

Indeed, at this moment in time they are purely phishing - in the hope that if their letter has reached the correct person, that they make contact.

 

Even if this is for a debt that you know couldn't possibly be yours then making contact with DCAs on receipt of these letters can be quite traumatic. You are put through a 3rd degree interrogation in order to prove that YOU are not the person they are looking for !!

 

Was the letter addressed to "the occupier" ?

 

I understood this was no longer permitted - this because despite the fact that they give either minimal or no financial details, most people opening one of these letters will automatically try to discover who the sender is !

 

Think about it - I receive one of these letters to "the occupier" - I open it or quite possibly even consider it to be SPAM mail and throw it away ?

 

If I open it, like you will I research the name of the company who wants to know if I am the person they are looking for. Discover it is a Debt Collection Agency. I know it cant possibly be me because I have no debt (not now anyway )

 

I worry because this company might be recording adverse information on my credit report ! Or worse, unless I make contact with them to deny I am the person they are seeking, that they wont believe me (and 99% of the time they wont) they will continue to send ever increasingly threatening letters to my home.

 

There have been many reports of this happening on CAG

 

Back to the letter and assuming they might well have the right person..

 

Have you checked your credit records to see if they or someone else is reporting any debt on your file.

 

Could it be that this is an outstanding balance from an account you opened a long while ago and have forgotten about ?

 

Have you moved recently.

 

It is suggested that you wait until they write again with more details - once they have given you a clue as to what they do actually want, then you are better placed to deal with things.

 

And yes, if they write to you again, with these details - then you will send the letter from the CAG library which asks them to provide more details. Or if you know it is something that you might have been involved with, you would send a CCA request.

[ashio83]

Hi citizenB, thanks for your response.

 

The letter was in fact addressed to me personally and in the first line of the letter it states that they "have been provided with this address".

 

Yes I have recently moved, 2 months ago. Yesterday I setup an account with my energy company (eon) and they ran a credit check to see which services they could offer me, which I passed but then the next day I receive a letter from Wetcloths, maybe just a coincidence?!

 

How do I go about checking my credit records? You're probably right, it could be an outstanding balance from a while ago, credit card or balances from other accounts I've long forgotten about.

 

Is there a particular thread I should check in the CAG Library for templates or example letters for a CCA request or dispute letters etc?

 

I will wait to hear from them again which on the letter they said "If we do not hear from you by 23/09/2014 we will ASSUME the contact information we hold for 'My Name' is correct"

 

The letter isn't signed either, they must have been in a rush to send it to me.

 

Thanks again for your help citizenB.

 

 

EDIT: I have just noticed the 'Beginner's guide' or 'Link to CAG template letters' in your sig but when I click them I am told that I do not have permission to access this page.

Edited September 18, 2014 by ashio83

[ericsbrother]

The usual trick is to send the same letter to everyone with your name and wait to see who responds and then harass them, even if they are the wrong person. You may be surprised how many people pay when it is not their debt just the get these leeched off their backs.

If they are certain they ahve the right person they will be intouch again with a demand on behalf of whoever.

As said, check your credit files and see if there is anything outstanding or anything you do niot recognise and this includes searches by any company you do not have a business relationship with. I did this as was aparrently working at a big shed DIY company in Basingstoke when clearly wasnt

[ashio83]

The usual trick is to send the same letter to everyone with your name and wait to see who responds and then harass them, even if they are the wrong person. You may be surprised how many people pay when it is not their debt just the get these leeched off their backs.

If they are certain they ahve the right person they will be intouch again with a demand on behalf of whoever.

As said, check your credit files and see if there is anything outstanding or anything you do niot recognise and this includes searches by any company you do not have a business relationship with. I did this as was aparrently working at a big shed DIY company in Basingstoke when clearly wasnt

 

A dirty and non surprising method! Can you advise me on how to check my credit files, is there a particular website to use or am I being simple?

 

Thanks for the advice.

[citizenB]

You can click on the green library link at the top left of the screen. That is where all the template letters are now.

 

the debt collection letters, CCA requests, prove it letters are kept in the link below. ..

 

http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/forumdisplay.php?405-Debt-Collection

 

You can check your credit reference files at Experian, Equifax or Call Credit by either taking up the free subscription (ensure you cancel it in good time before the 30 days is up) or sending a £2.00 postal order to each of the agencies.

[*RainbowTears*]

The usual trick is to send the same letter to everyone with your name and wait to see who responds and then harass them, even if they are the wrong person. You may be surprised how many people pay when it is not their debt just the get these leeched off their backs.

If they are certain they ahve the right person they will be intouch again with a demand on behalf of whoever.

As said, check your credit files and see if there is anything outstanding or anything you do niot recognise and this includes searches by any company you do not have a business relationship with. I did this as was aparrently working at a big shed DIY company in Basingstoke when clearly wasnt

 

 

That's exactly what they do (unless you have a unique surname) as I got caught a few years ago. As a letter came addressed for example; Mrs Smith with no initial.

 

Now I opened it & it was from a DCA looking for this Mrs Smith as it appears she had left owing thousands to British Gas...

 

Coincidently I'm with BG & as all my bills are paid by DD every month & I was in credit, so I knew it wasn't me.

 

But I rang them up anyways & the bloke I spoke too, at first he was sure it was me & that I was looking to con them. It turned out after chatting with him that this particular Mrs Smith lived in my general area as well & done a bunk.

 

I got them to remove my address from their "list" & never heard from them again..

 

So since then, I just throw any letters from a DCA on a phishing trip away, as they are simply writing in the hope "someone" responds!!

[ashio83]

Thanks again, I'll get back to you guys when I get some more correspondence from them.

[mikeymack2002]

You can try noddle to get your file and it is free to use as well look here

 

https://www.noddle.co.uk/

[ashio83]

You can try noddle to get your file and it is dree to use as well look here

 

Thank you for the link, very helpful.

[mikeymack2002]

You are welcome.

 

 

What does your report say about this alleged debt please does it show?