UAE dubai debt - chased by debt collectors in the UK.

[BalubaNebraska]

Hi, 

 

Just read the horror stories on this subforum and my heart sank a lil'... 

 

My story is the same.

 

Worked in UAE dubai 6 years ago, got a credit card and a loan, both secured with a black cheque, realized I won't be able to pay it back and, at the same time, found out that the boys down there throw you in jail for messing with their money so I panicked and got the hell out of Dodge.

 

Once back home in Bulgaria, I got in touch with the 2 banks trying to secure a method of paying it back somehow.

 

With one of them, I managed to establish some sort of monthly payment with the debt collector, some boys in the USA, although they are putting the squeeze on me every now and then to either pay in full or increase the monthly amount. The implied threat there is that if I do not, they will report me to the Interpol.

 

As you know and what I would have liked to know before setting foot in the dessert slave-land, UAE basically owns the interpol and they use it as their personal toy. The president is a human rights criminal from the UAE. But hey! That money has to come from somewhere. 

 

Right. Getting too long here. So that debt was in the region of £7k.

 

Now, the second debt, the aprox £30k one, I have tried establishing a monthly payment form years, now. Got an account number from a bank representative and started paying small amounts just to see what happens.

 

And behold, after one or two payments got emailed by a debt collector, the far East nasty kind, asking for money and saying no payments were made. So I stopped those. 

 

Now, since 2016 things happened and I moved to the UK with my wife and my two small kids. I did not update the bank on any address, they probably have my old Bulgarian one.

 

I did not get any correspondence from them anyway. In the mail, I mean. Only on email and mostly threats of the kind 'give us the money or you and your family up to the third generation will suffer'. 

 

To my horror, I got an email from some debt collector in the UK, one of the ones mentioned quite often on this forum, claiming that they are the representative of UAE bank.

 

I explained the situation again, got an account number to transfer monthly sums into, again, did so again from my bulgarian account.

 

Now, I have asked these boys to present me with some written proof that the bank accepts these monthly payments, and they have put me in contact with a guy at the bank.

 

That guy however, avoided to confirm the monthly payment is accepted and just asked for the full amount, or a partial substantial payment. They even offered to cut the debt to £25k.

 

Normally, I would take that bet and have this wrapped up. But that amount of money is too much for my budget at this point. I came to the UK in 2019, late, then the pandemic struck.

 

The move here cost me a bit, to put it mildly. I was hoping to make that money back, but with the things being what they are, I can't see things improving any time soon. 

 

Now, I have my car to my name,that is worth about 3k and that's about it. No other property in my name, anywhere in the world. 

 

I honestly don't know what to do here...should I just pack up my family and go home to Bulgaria? Should I move to Scotland? My kids are at school here, they are doing fine.

 

Whatever I make, is better than what I had back home. Taking them from here would mean ruining their future for a stupid thing I am trying to fix to no avail... 

 

as the many people that come here and try to find a way forward, I hope you guys can bless me with a piece of advice. A brother really needs one, right now... 

 

 

[dx100uk]

Your mistake was paying in the 1st place

 

Little or not anyone can do .

 

Just don't ignore a letter of claim, but ensure the bank has your address.

 

Dx

[BalubaNebraska]

Thanks for your answer dx. 

 

Can you please clarify that?

Why was it a mistake?

 

I can see you are the go to guy on this forum.

 

My intention is to get to an agreement with these guys, to pay monthly or in some other form and just get them off my back.

 

I have lots of questions for you, but I don't suppose I can message you privately. 

 

That being said, here are 2 of them:

 

1. The bank have my address in Bulgaria. Won't that be enough? 

 

2. Do you know of any situation in which someone got a settlement with these boys?

 

Or it's just skinning time for me? 

 

Thanks. 

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by dx100uk
Spacing

[dx100uk]

We don't do pm advice as that helps no-one bar you, not what CAG is about, cause if we did that they'd be no threads here to read..very unfair for everyone Inc you 

 

Your issue is you started paying and even worse to a scamming DCA .

 

Ignore the DCA totally unless you ever get a letter of claim by royal mail, ignore block and bounce all emails 

 

Write to the bank giving your correct and current address, keep them informed if you do move 

 

Dx

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BalubaNebraska]

Thank you Dx. 

Makes sense to have these public. 

I have paid in a bank account provided by the bank, a representative was copied on all these emails.

Having said that, sharing my address with the bank, won't invite even more of these harassments from these lads, here? 

And how should I update the bank? Via email? I know that question was asked and re-asked, but be kind to me. 

Anyway, last question: should I just pack up and leave the UK? If these boys take me to court and obviously win, I have nothing to give them. Only my car, but that ain't exactly gold... 

 

I don't know man. I really thought that by trying to make small steps towards clearing this I was doing a whole lot of good. But you say that in actuality I screwed myself, as I basically admitted to the debt... 

Yeah... Hell is paved with good intentions, as they say. 

 

 

[dx100uk]

Yes use royal mail 

 

And stop panicking.

 

Only the bank can ever do court.

 

Read the threads here and stop jumping to conclusions .

 

Dx

[FTMDave]

15 hours ago, BalubaNebraska said:

To my horror, I got an email from some debt collector in the UK, one of the ones mentioned quite often on this forum, claiming that they are the representative of UAE bank.

The thing to realise is that 95% of the threats we see here are hot air from paper tigers. 

 

5% are not.

 

Its is vitally important to separate the two.  Who is this "debt collector" who is threatening you?  

[BalubaNebraska]

Hi man, 

 

I don't know about these paper tigers, mate.

 

If you read the story of Hornsey62, also somewhere on this forum, that is a 'Tails from the Crypt' worthy story.

 

Granted, Hornsey seems to have gone out of his way to NOT provide any evidence to the people here,

 

so that they can have some idea what he was up against and give him some pertinent advise, and then, with the court order in hand and armed with, what I can only imagine, were his natural charm and the little advise he got on this forum went in front of the judge and got bent over a barrel for 30k.

 

In my case, by paying and trying to find a way out of this, it seems I have rolled the barrel nicely in place. 

 

Bottom line is, I tried doing the right thing, and now it seems I painted myself into a corner. That is a lesson for anybody else having the same honest and fair thoughts.... 

 

I will send the bank my contact address and I will wait for that claim letter.

 

I have nothing in this world, except a car that sort of runs. I will also speak with a lawyer as I, unlike Hornsey62, have far less confidence in my charm and far more sense. 

 

What I can promise you is that I will keep you lot up to date on my ordeal, except and unless they take my phone away.

 

Do they still do the debtors prisons in this land? Dickens is dead a long time, so my hope is not. 

 

Meanwhile, if anybody else is having these buzzers flying over them, drop a line or a piece of advice. I could do with any wisdom at this point. 

 

Thanks. 

 

 

 

[FTMDave]

For every "Tale From The Crypt" there are fortunately 100 tales where Caggers were panicking about empty threats and went on to pay absolutely nothing.

 

We need to know who this "debt collector" is.