Should I be worried???

[Jupitus]

A few weeks ago we got a letter at our address but addressed to a 'Ms Yidya Permanand'. The address is perfect and has the right post code etc etc.

In the past four weeks we have now had about half a dozen letters addressed to the same person at our address from a variety of different companies... these are mostly spam, but it does beg the question why has some person clearly given our address as theirs?

So... I'm not really sure how to approach this. Clearly we could just bin them and forget about it, or contact the senders one by one and tell them she doesn't live here, but given it has started quite suddenley and it's not just one or two I am concerned that someone might somehow have given our address out against loans or similar.

Who should I contact? What should I do??

Answers on a postcard please

 

[rynnor]

Well how long have you lived at the place?

I wouldnt worry too much if its stuff in someone elses name - its not like you have any legal responsibility if its in someone elses name even with your address.

The loans thing could be a pain but strictly speaking you dont have a legal right to open the letters - write NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS in large letters on the front - cross out your address and stick em in a mailbox.

 

[Jupitus]

Cheers Rynnor - I thought about the 'previous occupant' thing straight away, but we've been here over 5 years so that's ruled out

 

[yaruar]

Cheers Rynnor - I thought about the 'previous occupant' thing straight away, but we've been here over 5 years so that's ruled out

i wonder if it's someone who signed up to some stuff online and just gave a random name and address, i know i do that sometimes!

 

[Jupitus]

i wonder if it's someone who signed up to some stuff online and just gave a random name and address, i know i do that sometimes!

... hmm... and got the postcode spot on too? I guess postcodes aren't a huge secret so it's possible....

 

[Nate]

No it's not that difficult http://www.royalmail.com/portal/rm/postcodefinder?catId=400145

 

[Paradroid]

Online Credit Reports and Credit Reporting from a Leading Credit Agency: Equifax

 

[GReaper]

Sign up to the Mailing Preference Service to get rid of the junk mail?

Apparently you can register a previous occupant using the MPS to help reduce junk mail as well. Even though this person hasn't lived at your address it might be more effective in convincing companies that this person doesn't exist at your address.

 

[JBP|]

It wouldn't surprise if it was one of your sons friends playing a "prank".


If it is, i hear Japanese water torture can be an effective deterrent from future japes of this nature.

 

[Sharma]

I thought it was chinese.

 

[JBP|]

Maybe i'm thinking of Japanese water gardens then?

In which case it may not be as effective.

 

[dysfunction]

The loans thing could be a pain but strictly speaking you dont have a legal right to open the letters - write NOT KNOWN AT THIS ADDRESS in large letters on the front - cross out your address and stick em in a mailbox.

Thats what I would do...
You could also add RETURN TO SENDER.

Job done.

 

[Gil]

... hmm... and got the postcode spot on too? I guess postcodes aren't a huge secret so it's possible....

Could be they've typed their postcode wrong into a website and not checked what address has been supplied by the lookup.

 

[Sharma]

Maybe i'm thinking of Japanese water gardens then?

In which case it may not be as effective.

I think it'd be the first case of relaxing to death on record if it was possible.

 

[Deebs]

Jon,

I still get loan offers and other shit for the previous owner of my property. Not worried to be honest as the credit rating for my property (along with me asking for it) has never been refused so go me!

Will sign up to the MPS and see what that does as it just seems to be wasteful having to throw a small tree into the recycling bin once a week.

 

[SilverHood]

My folks have been living at this address since 1999. We still get bank statements for the old owners, despite dutifully returning to sender every time.

 

[Yaka]

this has been happening to us as well, past 3 months we have been getting mailed with address on but someone elses name. we have been ere since 1988. ive not opened one up yet but i always feel like having a peek

 

[SawTooTH]

I had a similar problem with someone claiming our address for their telephone bill. It was fairly easy to resolve as my telephone was with a different supplier but its damned frustrating, especially when you get a second and a third bill.

 

[Rubric]

We lived in a flat once and we kept getting the previous occupiers credit card statement for about 18 months.


Then we received his shiny new mastercard when his old card ran out.

I resisted the temptation and cut it up and binned it. We never received another statement for him after that only some parts for a motorcycle!!!!!!

Amazing the idiocy of some people.

 

[Sharma]

My mates received a nasty letter for the previous the other day stating they had an outstanding debt of £1000 and that the bank was about to start legal proceedings in order to retrieve it!

Hope the bailiffs don't walk round demanding it off them like, although there's not a lot they can do really.

We can't send it to the person either since we already tried and the staff don't have a clue where she lives.

 

[Rubric]

My mates received a nasty letter for the previous the other day stating they had an outstanding debt of £1000 and that the bank was about to start legal proceedings in order to retrieve it!

Hope the bailiffs don't walk round demanding it off them like, although there's not a lot they can do really.

We can't send it to the person either since we already tried and the staff don't have a clue where she lives.

They won't. They should expect to produce some proof of who they are and then tell them to FO.

TBH not many people get taken to court these days and you can't use bailiffs without a ccj or court order in the case of council tax.

 

[xane]

My mates received a nasty letter for the previous the other day stating they had an outstanding debt of £1000 and that the bank was about to start legal proceedings in order to retrieve it!

I've been in my new house for about a year and we still get bailiffs round regularly asking about the previous occupant, who, tbh was a bit of a dodgy fellow as I'd done some digging up on his past before I bought. Getting a letter is nothing compared to some huge guy turning up on the doorstep demanding money.

The bailiff letters are a pain because you have to reply telling them, as I think they can legally come a take away your car or something even though they have the wrong person.

But, similar to Jupitus' problem, I have a constant annoyance from debt collectors chasing another separate bad debtor who seems to have given out our telephone number, which was allocated to us at the start of the year and is ex-directory and only given to family members (although it may have been allocated to him before).

The creepy thing is, this debtor with the same phone number has the same christian name as me, and my surname, if split into two syllables, one would be similar to his surname, the other similar to his street address. I just wonder if some crazy debtor search engine has been put in his name and come up with a matching phone number that is mine (even though it is ex-directory).

Consequently, in addition to the known bad debtor who lived here previously, I have another one who coincidently shares the phone number. It took over a month without internet access to get my broadband swapped to this new number and I don't want to go through that again.

 

[mycenae]

my mum has been getting nasty letters and bailiffs demanding money, all in the name of an ex boyfriend who has given mum's address as his, even though he never lived there. I have a restraining order on this particular chap, so rang the local police station and asked their advice. They gave me a CAD number, told me to quote it to anyone who may phone or turn up at the doorstep, and otherwise open ALL post addressed to him, phone he respective companies and tell them in no uncertain terms that this person has never been known at this address and quote the CAD number to them too.
They assured me that as long as the companies know he is no longer there, theres nothing they can do apart from start searching elsewhere.