Phantom debt from "Sigma SPV1 Limited" ...

[Carl0071]

Hi guys and girls,

Ok, so a couple of weeks ago I received a letter from a company called HL Solicitors who are claiming to be writing to me on behalf of their client "Sigma SPV1 Limited" for a (phantom) debt of £244 and some pennies. Also, what made me very cautious was the fact that they were offering a 50% discount for immediate payment
(in other words, don't ask any questions, shut up and give us your money and we'll go easy on you. Question anything we say and we'll take more money from you). Also, the letter was undated and sent Mailsort (slowest, cheapest method for bulk letters and.junk mail according to a close friend who works for royal mail)
I've never heard of either company, nor do I owe anybody £244.

So I dropped them an email explaining I'd never heard of either of them, I don't believe I owe the debt and if they believe it does exist then I want a copy of the contract I signed or a bill of sale for goods and/or services I have received to the value of the debt. I also mentioned that if I didn't receive any documents by post or email within 7 days, I would consider the matter closed and any further letters would be returned to the sender.
20 minutes later (this was last money afternoon) I received an email back basically saying "thanks for contacting us, I will pass this onto my team who will look into this and be in contact shortly".
A week passed..... Nothing. No email, letter or phone call.
So, I emailed them again to say that the 7 days had passed, I had received no details of the debt by post or email so I consider the matter closed and any letters received from now on will be returned to the sender. Bearing in mind they only took 20 mins to give a basic reply last time.... I received no reply.
I google'd Sigma SPV1 Limited and they have no website, no phone number, no indication of their line of business and is registered to a semi detached council house in Cockermouth.
Could this whole thing be a scam??
How difficult can it be to send out thousands of letters by Mailsort, each offering a 50% reduction on an urgent debt to a company that barely exists? How many people would pay up just for the sake of it (Its only a couple of hundered pounds darling, better than ruining our perfect credit rating....). And even if somebody does speak up and say they don't owe it, they just forget it and move onto somebody else. And I bet if a regulator got onto them they would claim it was a mistake, wrong address etc and carry on!

[fermi]

Sounds like a mistake?

Not sure I would say a scam completely, as I've noticed Sigma via H&L etc issuing county court claims on some cases recently that actually owed. Not something that would happen on a totally dodgy operation.

But yes, this is how many debt collectors conduct a significant portion of their business. By sending out demands for payment after making no or very little amount of checks to make sure it is the correct person being pursued.

[Gordon Hose]

That fear is how most DCA's operate. They make money from people who aren't aware of their rights.

[Carl0071]

Fear is something I don't feel from these kind of letters. What I do feel is a moral obligation to take this as far as I have to in order to put a stop to it. I have dealt with doorstop debt collectors when I first moved in (they were looking for the guy who used to live in our house, not me!) and I stand my ground and calmly told them that I am not Mr. X and here is my drivers licence which confirms this. When it's somebody else they are looking for it is easy to deal with but I will take the same logical approach to this matter.

[wjmaker]

in the post today a letter arrived 4 my niece from h l solicitors saying she owed them £159.95 and offering the 50% off the balance but this letter has been dated with a phone number and there address being graven house prospect hill red ditch .. Ive asked my niece about this because i couldn't understand y letter of this nature were coming to my address as she hasn't lived with me 4 the past 4 years... how can i find out if this is above bored or a scam ? i will be sending an e mail to them about this matter but wanted to find out everything 1st b4 going ahead .. if anyone can help me id really appreciate it many thanks

[Gordon Hose]

I'd ignore it for now. See what comes next.

Could be a fishing trip and answering would place you on their radar.