Does registering with Noddle give out my address to debt collectors??

[alpo287]

I have noticed that since I signed up with Noddle to look at my credit file a while ago ever since then I have been receiving letters from debts/arrears going back as far as 8 years from old addresses to my new address, some of these debts I have no recollection of at all. This has only been happening since I signed up with Noddle and put my current address and details in the signing up process. I noticed that this is also mandatory on the Noddle site otherwise you can't sign up.

 

Does registering with this site with my current address make it easier for debt enforcers to 'track you down' or what? If not how come all these letters from old water rates, rent arrears, mail order catalogues etc are only appearing now since I signed up but they haven't arrived for years before that?

 

Some of these I don't even recognize, for instance there is a 600 odd quid bill from a debt collector for Marshall Ward come through and I've never even used Marshall Ward before.

[renegadeimp]

DCA's will use any means to track you. SO the answer is yes. However, how old are all these debts they are chasing you for, because in general, if 6 years have elapsed and no payment or written acknowledgement from you, then they cant do anything.

[renegadeimp]

Can you post up a list of your debts, with as much info as possible for each, such as dates, original creditor, current owner of the debt, as well as when you last made payment etc.

[silverfox1961]

This has been discussed many times previously with no firm consensus however, it is (and always) been my opinion that tracing agents have contracts with Credit reference agencies to alert them when a name corresponds with someone they are trying to find.

 

If any of the debts being chased for are not on your credit file this may indicate that they are over the 6 year rule. (this is not foolproof)

 

It may also be that you have the same name as a debtor with the same name re; Marshall Ward.

[obiter dictum]

I to have had very old debts, i am talking 1998 raise their ugly heads from a selection of DCA.

 

 

This only started after i subscribed to Noddle. That includes Motormouth finance who had been quiet suddenly raise their head again with spam emails

 

It is obvious the credit agencies offer a service where they put a watch on peoples credit files, as soon as any activity happens such as a request for the report it automatically tips off the subscriber DCA

[WindySock]

All 3 CRAs offer alert services to creditors and debt collectors that will automatically notify them of newly recorded contact details and addresses. One major source of these is indeed the updated details you give when you request a credit report.

 

It's not a secret or rocket science.

[alpo287]

All 3 CRAs offer alert services to creditors and debt collectors that will automatically notify them of newly recorded contact details and addresses. One major source of these is indeed the updated details you give when you request a credit report.

 

It's not a secret or rocket science.

 

So why are people who are having issues with debts often forwarded to these sites and told to sign up for them as a way of helping them? Every time I look something up online in relation to debts the advice given to them is to have a look at their credit file online, but if these CRA pass the contact details onto to the debt collectors isn't that making it worse for the person with debt because they are going to get an avalanche of letters from other old debts resurfacing that they had forgotten about or simply ignored?

[alpo287]

Can you post up a list of your debts, with as much info as possible for each, such as dates, original creditor, current owner of the debt, as well as when you last made payment etc.

 

Yeah, I don't have the letters in front of me but off the top of my head

 

Rent arrears from an housing association property: I already made a thread about that one here http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?448509-Housing-Association-rent-arrears-from-4-years-ago that's from 4 going on 5 years ago for nearly £600. I have had letters from Lowells, capquest, and Newman for this one so not sure who it belongs to.

 

British Gas for gas services at a previous property £325 from 2 years ago, the letter is directly from British Gas.

 

Marshall Ward catalogue £619, letter from Lowell financial with no dates or anything on there or any account numbers or anything, just stating I owe them that. I've never had Marshall Ward before or ever opened an account with them. My partner has but that's a different name altogether from 2007 when we weren't even living together.

 

Water rates/services from 2007 Seven Trent Water, this is bizarre because it's in relation to a property that my parent was the tenant of from when I was living at home, so no idea why it's addressed to me other than we have the same surname.

 

There are some others as well I'll post them up when I dig out the letters. None of these at all show on my credit file though, the only thing on my credit file is an overdraft chased by Natwest from 2010, other than that there is nothing on the credit file. I have never made any payments on any of the above as far as I know.

[WindySock]

So why are people who are having issues with debts often forwarded to these sites and told to sign up for them as a way of helping them? Every time I look something up online in relation to debts the advice given to them is to have a look at their credit file online, but if these CRA pass the contact details onto to the debt collectors isn't that making it worse for the person with debt because they are going to get an avalanche of letters from other old debts resurfacing that they had forgotten about or simply ignored?

 

Because advice, even online, is rarely given without an underlying agenda or ethos behind it.

 

In many cases that agenda/ethos is that if you owe money to debt collectors you deserve what you get, and should pay them without quibbling.

[obiter dictum]

Anyone who owes a debt has a moral and legal obligation to pay it. But only what you owe. Not a debt inflated by unlawful charges or has become statute barred. Not also being bullied into paying back more than you can afford at the expense of priority debts

[citizenB]

So why are people who are having issues with debts often forwarded to these sites and told to sign up for them as a way of helping them? Every time I look something up online in relation to debts the advice given to them is to have a look at their credit file online, but if these CRA pass the contact details onto to the debt collectors isn't that making it worse for the person with debt because they are going to get an avalanche of letters from other old debts resurfacing that they had forgotten about or simply ignored?

 

Because advice, even online, is rarely given without an underlying agenda or ethos behind it.

 

In many cases that agenda/ethos is that if you owe money to debt collectors you deserve what you get, and should pay them without quibbling.

 

That is rather cynical WindySock and I wouldn't think this is the reason that CAG advises you check with the CRAs for information at all !

 

We advise checking with the CRAs to ensure information is being recorded correctly, or to see if the reporting has ceased. So many people who come to us come with an attitude of .. we cant remember - we don't know - we aren't sure. Checking with the CRAs is the only sure way of finding out when a debt was defaulted, when a last payment was made, or if it has dropped off because it has reached it's 6th birthday. The first time some people know they have a CCJ recorded against them is after having checked their files.

 

I would however agree that if your personal information, address, telephone number is not already accurate on the file, this is a trigger for receiving begging letters.

[WindySock]

That is rather cynical WindySock and I wouldn't think this is the reason that CAG advises you check with the CRAs for information at all !

 

Lucky I was not referring to CAG then isn't it?

 

alpo287 just said ''advice online'' which I took to be much more general, as in specifically elsewhere and not here.

[Complete Misfit]

So if registering a new address on a CRA means it will get passed on to DCAs, I guess it also means that if someone else does a credit check on you with your new address, the same thing will happen?

[ericsbrother]

Nothing is passed on,

anyone accessing your credit file has to ask about a specific person, not a random name or address.

 

 

If however someone asks for CRA data on you at an address then any linked addresses will be part of the information passed on in what they receive.

 

 

That means if you have old debts and a new address someone doing a NEW search will get the old addy and the new one.

 

 

This may lead to more post but ultimately it means that no-one can sneak a CCJ onto your files by deliberately sending a claim to an old address knowing it wont get defended. This is quite common in some fields.

 

BTW they have to pay to access the files so they arent going to shell out £100m to have a peek at everyones credit records just so they can send out a correctly addressed begging letter!