letters addressed to my son at my address

backpack

Hello,
I hope someone can please give me some advice.
I have received a couple of letters, addressed to my son, at my address.
I suspected that they may be from a debt collection agency as, in the past, he did have some debts.
I asked my son why I was receiving letters addressed to him at my address, and he does not know why I am getting them. He says he paid off his debts, but I am unsure if this is correct.
I googled the return address on the back of the envelope:- P.O. Box 278, Reigate, RH2 7WB and discovered that the letters are from a debt collection agency.
I sent the first letter, received two weeks ago, unopened, back to the sender by writing on the envelope:- wrong address, please return to sender. Today I have received another letter addressed to my son, which I shall return to sender, unopened, as wrong address.
Am I within the law to do this? I have not made any contact with the sender, other than returning the letters.
Am I obliged to divulge my sons correct address?
I am really getting worried about this, I am a widow, an O.A.P. living on my own, and don't know what to do.
I would appreciate your advice.
Thank you

RAS

Hi

You are doing the right thing. You are not obliged to give them your son's current address.

This is fairly standard DCA fishing, which they are not supposed to do.

DarkConvict

Yes, that is all you need to do. Put on return to sender, not at this address.

Sadly, the DCAs will keep trying and you may get 1-3 letters a months, which you just send back as above.

backpack

Thank you both very much for your prompt reply.
I do not feel so worried now, but must confess, I am a bit worried that bailiffs may turn up on my doorstep, as my son and I have the same surname.
My son has not lived here for at least fifteen years.

backpack

Hello

Today, I have received at my address, another letter addressed to my son, from P.O. Box 278, Reigate, RH2 7WB. It is only three days since the last letter was sent to him, at my address, and which I promptly returned to sender with 'wrong address' written on envelope.

On the envelope of the letter, delivered to my address today, I wrote in red ink:-

This is the third letter returned to you.
Please note that Mr........ does not live at this address.

I then put that letter into another envelope, addressed to them and posted it straight back.

I am really worried and frightened in case any bailiffs arrive at my house as I live alone, am an O.A.P. and of course my surname is the same as my son's.

I can't understand why they are sending him letters to my address as he has not lived here for so long.

Thank you

Is there anything else I should do

katsu

Please don't worry. If there are debts that belong to your son, that is not your responsibility so these debt collectors can't do anything to you.

littlemissmoney

backpack wrote: »

I then put that letter into another envelope, addressed to them and posted it straight back.

There is no need to use your own envelopes or stamps... just write on the orignal envelope and stick it back in the postbox.

If baliffs do turn up, don't let them in. Do you have a chain?

I'd also have a chat with your son and point him to this site!

savingmummy

My mum has had the same thing with my older sister who we have not seen for yrs due to finance problems.
In the end my mum went to CAB and the man there contacted these people and spoke to them and she has had no correspondence since.
My father did give my sisters new address to them over the phone once so unsure whether that helped, maybe your son could contact them about it? it seems unfair for you to have the stress but be assured they can`t take anything from you or demand that you pay for whatever it is thats owed to them x

DVardysShadow

'wrong address' is an interesting way of putting it - it implies that you might know a right address. more usually, it's 'not at this address'

timmmers

backpack wrote: »

Thank you both very much for your prompt reply.
I do not feel so worried now, but must confess, I am a bit worried that bailiffs may turn up on my doorstep, as my son and I have the same surname.
My son has not lived here for at least fifteen years.

They can't arrive at anyone's house without an appointment. It's against the law and harrassment. It's a threat but an empty one. Even if your son owed them thousands and lived there they couldn't turn up unannounced.

I bet there is a suitable letter template somewhere on here to send them telling them not to contact you again in any way.

t

backpack

Thank you for replies.

I sent the letter, received yesterday, back to them in an envelope because I do not know how much priority Royal Mail give to letters
marked 'returned to sender'.

Today, I received yet another letter through my letterbox, addressed to my son, from the same people. It looks like they are going to start sending them daily. I immediately wrote on the envelope, not at this address and put it in the postbox.

As none of the letters have been opened, I would be unaware if they sent an appointment for bailiffs to visit my address.

I have spoken to my son, on the telephone, regarding these letters.
He knows I am angry that they have come to my address.
I am reluctant to send the letters on to him in case he does nothing about them and then the sender would think that he was at my address.

I would never divulge his address to anyone, and I have been informed in an earlier post that I am not obliged to do so.

I would like to thank all of you for responding to my worries, it does help to be able to share them.