Sacked due to old CCJ

Rain_is_Insane

Hi all,

I started work at a local convenience store last week after a short interview and a 2 hour work trial. I get a phone call from the owner this morning telling me he can't employ me anymore due to background checks being done about my financial status coming back with monies owing on it. He gave me an address i had lived at over 10 years ago where a CCJ has apparently been registered against me. He also told me I had been late on a few payments at my current address (due to being out of work and having to do a lot of juggling for a few months) and this made me "unsuitable to be employed by him".

Question is...how on earth has he dug up this information? Can anyone just send off £2 to a credit agency and find things out about you? Or will there be some other way he has done it?

I'm a bit miffed to say the least, especially as yesterday I had a work review after being there a week and he was more than happy with me.

I'm not looking to get my job back or anything, as it would be highly embarrasing going back to work for him knowing that he knows this info about me. I'm just curious as to how he's gained this information.

Also if he has gone through the proper channels and done a credit check, will this show up on my file and go against me in any way?

If I had known passing a credit check was a criteria for employment, I wouldn't have gone for the job in the first place as i know the late payments would show up on there.

Anyone able to shed any light on this?

king-arthur

I have seen this before in job specs - I am bewildered as well. I can maybe understand it if you work high up within a bank or financial institute as it could suggest you are untrustworthy.

I too would be interested to know what the employment law is on this?

Snakeeyes21

seems strange.
not being able to work in a shop because of a ccj. now if he got a pnc check and it come up as a conviction of theft i could see why he wouldnt want you working there.
what a strange employer.

skylight

How did he manage to get a credit check in the first place??

Very few places are allowed to get credit checks - and they need a credit licence I thought? Credit checks are not even included on full CRB checks.

epsilondraconis

If I were you I would write to him and ask him to list why you are losing your job. If he lists all of this information in the letter, and he has obtained this information in a fraudulent way, then you have some sort of proof.

I have no idea whether or not he is legally allowed this persoanl financial information. If he is, then fine; however it seems a bit odd to me.

Would it also be worth your while contacting the main 3 credit agencies asking if a request for a credit report has been made in the last month.

Hopefully someone with more knowledge would be along soon to put your mind at rest, but it seems altogether suspicious to me. However I'm a cynical sod.

Good luck anyway.

JayZed

County Court Judgements are a matter of public record and are available from the Registry Trust (http://www.trustonline.org.uk/). Anyone obtain CCJ information on any UK resident for a small fee.

However, the record is only maintained for a period of six years from the date of the CCJ. You say that this CCJ relates to an address that you lived at over 10 years ago. Is the CCJ itself more than 6 years old? If so, it's odd that it's still on record.

As for the information about the more recent late payments, I don't see where that could have come from other than from a credit check. A credit check can only be carried out with your consent. Did you give that consent, perhaps in a form you filled in during the job application? If not, and a credit check has been carried out without your consent, somebody has committed an offence.

I would suggest that you check your own credit file with Equifax, Experian and CallCredit and see who has run a check on you recently. If you think it's been done without your consent, you should inform the credit agency.

I also think the grounds for dismissal are shaky, unless at some point you were asked whether you have any CCJs against you and lied about it. But I don't know enough about employment law to know where you stand there.

Rain_is_Insane

I was never asked about any CCJ's, the subject never came up, and to be honest even if I was i would have said no, so I guess I have him to thank for bringing this to my attention if nothing else.

I've sent off for my reports now and will check the entries. I really don't know where to go from here if it does show he has run a credit check. Short of storming in and accusing him there isn't much else I can do. I DON'T want the job back after this but an appology would be nice.

LinasPilibaitisisbatman

Its quite possible that the convenience store deals with payments or offers credit facilities as an agent and thus as part of their insurance or agreement with the other party cant employ poor credit risks as its a motivating factor to commit fraud.

Or maybe he just doesnt like it. Ultimately its his choice.

sammyjammy

Its quite common not to employ someone that has or has had money troubles, if they are dealing with cash the perception is that it may be too much temptation, I don't disagree that its strange that he did this credit check without your consent, have you actually checked out if what he says about the CCJ is true?

Another poster said that you can get info on CCJs from public register for a fee, it would be strange for him to do this as most people would come back clear and it wouldn't necessarily mean that someone didn't have financial problems just becasue they don't have a CCJ.

Best of luck with looking for a new job.

Sam

Rain_is_Insane

sammyjammy wrote: »

I don't disagree that its strange that he did this credit check without your consent, have you actually checked out if what he says about the CCJ is true?



Best of luck with looking for a new job.

Sam

I've sent off for my files to check this.

And thanks for the "luck"...in the current climate i'm going to need tons of it.

Rain_is_Insane

Just another titbit of info I have just been told.

The CCJ registered against me was in my maiden name (another employee called me and told me briefly what was said after she asked why i didn't turn in for my shift, she asked me if the name "Jane Doe" meant anything to me as he had shown her some paperwork he had delivered through the post with that name on it). If he had just searched on trustonline, would that give him that kind of info? My previous addresses and names?? He knew the name of the road I lived on years ago, as he has rental property on the same road, it was in passing conversation that I told him I used to live on that road when he told me about his house rental business, but i never mentioned the number or the name I had when I lived there.

I'm guessing that because he knows my maiden name then the CCJ is in fact real and not just a ploy to get rid of me. Which i will address as soon as i get my credit reports. The whole thing is just niggling me though.

A CRB check would have been a godsend compared to this !!

I have a bloody headache !!!!!