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d-b_2
d-b_2 Posts: 53 Forumite
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in Credit cards
I am a landlord. I have just received a letter from barclaycard offering me a new card with a supposedly good deal balance transfer, and also a letter from 'Postcode Lottery'. These are with my name and the address of the rental property. I pay the utilities there and the only way that they could have got my address there is via a utility company. I thought I'd chance doing a credit check at that address via the freebie offered by MSE. I put my details as the rental address, my current address as a previous address. Came up with a good score (over 90) even though my bank account and credit cards and electoral roll are all registered at my current home address - supposedly my previous address 5 years ago. (I already have a Barclaycard at my home address). Seems dodgy, do you agree?

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  • eskbanker
    eskbanker Posts: 31,034 Forumite
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    d-b wrote: »
    I pay the utilities there
    ....which would presumably have entailed credit checks when setting up the relevant accounts, thereby establishing a credit file footprint in your name at the rental address?
  • d-b_2
    d-b_2 Posts: 53 Forumite
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    eskbanker wrote: »
    ....which would presumably have entailed credit checks when setting up the relevant accounts, thereby establishing a credit file footprint in your name at the rental address?
    Presumably - but there was no other record of my being at that address at the time, so how would they know I was genuinely entitled to use it? I think I gave them our home address and explained we were landlords when first setting up the accounts. And how suddenly after 5 years do third parties obtain that address for me?
  • eDicky
    eDicky Posts: 6,574 Forumite
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    You're living in a world of ever more comprehensive and invasive personal data harvesting and marketing. You can tick or untick every box in order to opt out, but if you miss one or probably even if you don't, the stuff will come through the door sooner or later. Whether it's dodgy or not is a relative perception, but it's likely that the only certain escape is to go live in a Himalayan village or cave...
    Evolution, not revolution
  • bris
    bris Posts: 10,548 Forumite
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    They all do it they share data with other companies whether you like it or not.


    I have dark ages broadband where I am which with 5 in the house is truly awful so signed up to talktalk for a second line for the broadband only. Within a few days the phone, even though no one had the number as it will never be used, was getting spam calls. My mobile was getting spam texts and an old email address I used to set up the account was suddenly getting spam. It doesn't take a genius to work out that talktalk are sharing my data. I always make a habit of making sure the boxes are correctly ticked or unticked so it looks like this is just ignored. I disconnected the phone as it will never be used to it can ring forever as far as I'm concerned now.


    Lucky it just a second broadband line so all the spam is just going to obsolete accounts but it's still annoying just the same.
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