"unexpected" court fine

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ionion
ionion Posts: 2 Newbie
in Dealing with debts & debt disputes
Hi,

I've been reading through some posts on this forum, but unfortunately none seem to match my situation.

Yesterday I received a letter to my address from the London North West and North Courts titled "Further Steps Notice" and stating that I owed £700 and I had failed to make payment as directed. I have no idea what this is about. I have no unpaid penalties that I know of, nor I have had any offence on the teritorry of he London North West and North Courts or elsewhere.

It was all too "sudden and unexpected" for me. I haven't changed my address for years and this is the first letter that I ever receive from this court. They have not informed me about any proceedings against me. Nothing until now. And this letter does not mention what the reason for this fine is.

Anyone any idea or similar situation?

Thanks!

Comments

  • CKhalvashi
    CKhalvashi Posts: 12,060 Forumite
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    Can you PM me a case reference number?

    Methinks that this is some form of (probably Russian) scam that I can do some further digging into. I came across this when I was about 20, and had no idea it was still going :eek::eek:

    CK
    💙💛 💔
  • hcb42
    hcb42 Posts: 5,962 Forumite
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    anything DVLA related?
  • ionion
    ionion Posts: 2 Newbie
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    hcb42 wrote: »
    anything DVLA related?

    Nothing I can remember of.
    The weird thing is this is the first thing that I ever receive and it doesn't state the offence itself.
  • hcb42
    hcb42 Posts: 5,962 Forumite
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    there are a few similar stories on CAG and appear to be DVLA related e.g. not returning log book after sale, that sort of thing..equally read one or two with no prev letters etc...
  • pmlindyloo
    pmlindyloo Posts: 13,049 Forumite
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    This sounds similar:

    http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?327376-Failure-to-provide-V5-after-sale-can-I-dispute-the-court-fine-if-I-was-unaware
  • CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative
    CAB_Swansea_Bay_representative Posts: 287 Organisation Representative
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    Hi ionion, thank you for your query about unexpected court fine.
    Further steps notices are sometimes used in relation to DVLA penalties or Magistrates Court fines but I cannot advise you without further information and I would suggest if this letter is addressed to you and at your address that you contact them to find out what the debt/fine is in relation to including, if it is in relation to a vehicle offence, the registration and date of the alleged offence so you can then decide if you want to dispute the debt. Unfortunately I cannot give you information on how to go about disputing the debt without first knowing what the debt is for as there are very different rules and procedures for disputing Magistrates court fines, fixed penalty notices from the DVLA and Penalty Charge Notices from Council so I would suggest you find out further information and post again on the forum for further assistance or contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau which you can find at https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
    Hope this is of assistance.
    “Official CAB Representative
    I am an official representative of CAB. MSE has given permission for me to post in response to questions on the CAB Board. You can see my name on the companies with permission to post list. If you believe I’ve broken any rules please report my post to forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com as usual"
  • EmmaHerts
    EmmaHerts Posts: 313 Forumite
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    Something like this happened to me. Someone used my name and DOB when skipping the train. I ended up being sent a letter like you mentioned. I called up and explained I had not heard from them before, the previous information was sent to an address I had never lived at.

    All I had to do was go to magistrates court and explain. You have to prove that you had not known about any court action/fine. I was not fined and it all turned out okay.
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