Taxs Credit - Huge Mistake, please please help me advice needed :(

krazyburd23

Hi Guys,

I really need some urgent advice!

I received an overpayment from the tax credit office, and before paying I asked for a full explanation.

I got the letter today, it was addressed to me and contained information based on the enclosed documents.

The thing is the documents belong to someone else!!!!! They contain everything about this person, name, address, DOB, NI No, BANK DETAILS, P60!?

I don’t know what to do! I am so worried that someone else might have mine too. I have called the tax credits office and they don’t know what to do apart from send it back! I want to speak to someone now, because my stuff could be out there somewhere and could get into the wrong hands. Surely this breaches data protection?

How can they write a personalised letter to me, using documents containing someone elses name I really want to speak to someone now, but I dont know who to talk to

What should I do? Any advice would be welcomed with open arms

Lea

Astaroth

Yes it does breach DPA but at the same time mistakes do happen. The likely hood is that someone has got yours, very possibly the persons who you have received and they are equally worried about what you are going to do with their details.

To be honest there is very little information that isnt available with a minimal amount of research if someone was bothered to get it.

Personally I would simply return it and if you are particularly worried then subscribe to a credit reference agencies monitor service just to ensure no credit is applied in your name.

krazyburd23

Thanks Astaroth

I cant believe there is nothing I can do You have to be so careful with your details these days, its not right that they can be so sloppy with them.

There's some poor lady out there, who I've never met and now know nearly everything about. Do u think its worth contacting her, to let her know they are safe?

Astaroth

I personally wouldnt - I guess the question is if it is better to think they have simply got lost or that someone else has got them.

If there is something you want to "do" you can complain to the Information Commissioner who is the government agency that oversees that companies follow the DPA correctly (in some other laws governmnet agencies are immune to these kinds of investigations but I dont know about DPA). http://www.ico.gov.uk

At the end of the day though all the ICO can do is check that the Tax offices processes are DPA compliant and possibly force a small compensation payment for the mistake. It wont identify who got your details and wont mean that person never received them.

As to having to be so careful with your details? I personally disagree, I think there is a lot of paranoia about and whilst you obviously dont want to be careless with them the risks do still remain exceptionally small and if a fraudster really wants to take your identity there is enough information readily available in the public domain for them to do it without needing anything else.

mishkanorman

But bank details ??? That means she could walk into the bank with the account details and letters as proof of ID withdrawal all the money and as it was a 'mistake' no-one will know its her. (of course you cant now you told them - !!)

I agree thats a bit much, ask for a team leader when you call and state you want this investigating, i would also send a quick letter to the person who details you have, explaining whats happened and that their stuff has been returned to the tax office. I would want to know .


Mishka

real1314

mishkanorman wrote:

But bank details ??? That means she could walk into the bank with the account details and letters as proof of ID withdrawal all the money and as it was a 'mistake' no-one will know its her. (of course you cant now you told them - !!)

I agree thats a bit much, ask for a team leader when you call and state you want this investigating, i would also send a quick letter to the person who details you have, explaining whats happened and that their stuff has been returned to the tax office. I would want to know .


Mishka

I'm not sure how your bank operates, but mine won't give my dosh out on that basis. acount numbers and sort codes are available to anyone who takes direct debits from you or sends standing orders to you, they don't mean that you can amend accounts, even with a P60 and a few other bits of half baked ID.

What this does suggest is that either:
1. The tax office do not have a proper system for keeping documents relating to one person together and seperate from other cases (unlikely)

2. Someone in the tax office has been dealing with 2 files at the same time and has mixed them up. (very likely)

it's a simple error and it happens in tax offices, banks everywhere. not a good thing, but hopefully no harm has been done.

Contains_Mild_Peril

I'm not surprised that this mistake has happened: the more I read this board the more convinced I am that the whole tax credits system is a shambles.

There's some poor lady out there, who I've never met and now know nearly everything about. Do u think its worth contacting her, to let her know they are safe?

That's a dificult one. If she has been sent your details by mistake she'll probably welcome the reassurance, but if she's unaware of the mix-up, it may worry her.
A bank would require a signature (though this might not be checked unless a particularly large sum is involved) for any withdrawals. Since all the other necessary information (your name, sort code and account no.) may be easily available from other sources (e.g. any cheques you write), it's unlikely that anyone would attempt to use the to interfere with your account.
I would enclose a strongly worded letter of complaint when returning the documents, and keep a copy of your letter, and post it from a P.O. so you can get a free certificate of posting, and also note any phone calls you've made about this matter, so if any further errors (or even fraud) occur as a result of this, you have a record of when you inormed the IR of the error and when you returned their letter.

barjam_2

i can see when people say you shouldnt inform her incase it worries her but would YOU want to be informed if someone had your details i'm sure i would...... cos then that would mean an extra person to complain to the tax credits, if you send it back then tax credits will be happy that no-one else knew about the cockup sorry but i would definetly be trying to get in contact with this other person:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Contains_Mild_Peril

I agree with barjam now I've had a while to think about it. Her privacy has been breached, so she has a right to know, however unpleasant that may be.