Previous owner still taking out credit on my address...what can I do about it??

Little_Leita

Hiya,

I knew when I bought this house (6 years ago) with my hubby that the people we were buying from were in financial trouble - he is a problem gambler.

When we first bought the house we dropped their mail in at their new house a few times. After a year I thought 'sod it' and just started chucking junk out and returning other stuff to sender. We were getting quite a few from Welcome Finance at the start of last year but I binned them as it looked like junk ...until a red letter arrived and it became apparent that they had taken out a secured loan of £20,000 on my home in september 08 and had defaulted on all but the first payment!!!! I immediately rang the company up and gave them their new address (would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they knocked on the door). I thought that would be the end of it, but kept opening any mail with their names on (mostly 'fail safe gambling formulas' and the like :rotfl:)..... but this week I received a letter from a debt collection agency regarding a mobile phone contract taken out by the wife. I rang the agency up, gave them the new address and he said that though he couldnt discuss the account with me, that it had been taken out fairly recently.

Firstly, I dont know how the hell they are getting away with it because surely all their documents will be in the new address, and secondly you would think that some form of correspondence would have come to the house when these contracts were entered into?

Lastly, is there anything I can do to stop this?

Thanks.

naijapower

Well, you shouldnt be opening other people's mail in the first place

2 wrongs don't make a right

Little_Leita

Its not illegal to open mail once it is delivered to a property and i have every right considering that they moved out 6 years ago and are blackening my credit score.

Sheesh....

alanalea

naijapower wrote: »

Well, you shouldnt be opening other people's mail in the first place

2 wrongs don't make a right

It's not illegal to open other people's mail unless you intend to commit fraud or do something else criminal.

I was getting letters from the last people that lived here for well over a year, they even managed to set up a credit card with this address which was then delivered here. When I phone Lloyds up, they'd applied for over £5,000 worth of credit using my address after they'd been gone 11 months :mad:

I've had baliffs, court letters everything turn up and it's taken me a couple of years phoning everyone with their new address to get it stopped.

Can you make a report to the police for fraud?

[Deleted User]

I have done the same with suspicious mail and have no regrets whatsoever, turned out the person before me was opening a bank account registered to my address months after moving out. All documents were returned to the bank.

I'd advise u to contact the main credit search agencies and get them to register that you are nothing to do with this family. I am sorry I think there is a procedure to do this, but I can't remember what its called. Try posting on other sections of this site like House Buying, Renting and Selling, they will probably be able to give more precise advice.

RAS

Little_Leita wrote: »

Hiya,

We were getting quite a few from Welcome Finance at the start of last year but I binned them as it looked like junk ...until a red letter arrived and it became apparent that they had taken out a secured loan of £20,000 on my home in september 08 and had defaulted on all but the first payment!!!! I immediately rang the company up and gave them their new address (would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they knocked on the door). I thought that would be the end of it, but kept opening any mail with their names on (mostly 'fail safe gambling formulas' and the like :rotfl:)..... but this week I received a letter from a debt collection agency regarding a mobile phone contract taken out by the wife.

Your starting points are to check the electoral roll are they still listed at your address?

I find it very hard to bel;ieve that have managed to take out a SECURED loan on your property if it is correclty registered at the Land registry, so you need to check that as well.

Finally, speak to CIFAS http://www.cifas.org.uk and see if you can set up a protective regsitration with them to stop it happening again. They may also place a fraud flag onthe previous oweners account as well.

brians_daughter

Little_Leita wrote: »

Hiya,

I knew when I bought this house (6 years ago) with my hubby that the people we were buying from were in financial trouble - he is a problem gambler.

When we first bought the house we dropped their mail in at their new house a few times. After a year I thought 'sod it' and just started chucking junk out and returning other stuff to sender. We were getting quite a few from Welcome Finance at the start of last year but I binned them as it looked like junk ...until a red letter arrived and it became apparent that they had taken out a secured loan of £20,000 on my home in september 08 and had defaulted on all but the first payment!!!! I immediately rang the company up and gave them their new address (would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when they knocked on the door). I thought that would be the end of it, but kept opening any mail with their names on (mostly 'fail safe gambling formulas' and the like :rotfl:)..... but this week I received a letter from a debt collection agency regarding a mobile phone contract taken out by the wife. I rang the agency up, gave them the new address and he said that though he couldnt discuss the account with me, that it had been taken out fairly recently.

Firstly, I dont know how the hell they are getting away with it because surely all their documents will be in the new address, and secondly you would think that some form of correspondence would have come to the house when these contracts were entered into?

Lastly, is there anything I can do to stop this?

Thanks.

In order to open a mobile account they would need to have proof of who they are and utility bills dated in last 3 months. They would have to have done this in store, if it was done online then the phone would have come to your address. Is there anyway they could be getting these?

Few things to consider....They arent blackening your credit score as it is the individual not the property that is 'searched' plus any associates you may have ie joint mortgage and bank account.

How have they got a secured loan on the property? This is impossible, The company would check land registry and the mortgage provider before agreeing any loans that were secured on the property.

You need to check your own credit report to ensire you are not connected with these people in any way shape or form (highly highly unlikely), or that they havent been taking credit out in your name etc...more common than you think.

Also, maybe worth posting the the loans, credit cards forum. Some fab ppl over there will advise more

Any more mail open it and contact relevant agencies to inform them you are not them. I have had some of the issues you have had and have had to provide passport/driver licence/utility bills to numerous bailiffs.

[Deleted User]

brians_daughter wrote: »

In order to open a mobile account they would need to have proof of who they are and utility bills dated in last 3 months. They would have to have done this in store, if it was done online then the phone would have come to your address. Is there anyway they could be getting these?

I'm afraid its very possible to get a mobile phone without proof of address and utility bills with an online company.., altho how they got the phone sent to their address I have no idea if they were using your address when a credit check was done. They may have just told the company they had moved after receiving the phone.

INT1

Return anything you get to the sender, the credit agencies will put a goneaway on the address which can be seen on the credit file.

Debt is not in your name and you now own/mortgage the house so it's nothing to do with you.

You will just have the incovenience of popping them envelopes in the post boxes.

brians_daughter

deannatrois wrote: »

I'm afraid its very possible to get a mobile phone without proof of address and utility bills with an online company.., altho how they got the phone sent to their address I have no idea if they were using your address when a credit check was done. They may have just told the company they had moved after receiving the phone.

Thats what i was saying - if online it would have to be and a new customer it must be delivered to the invoice/billing address. So,the only way it could've happened is instore with ID and utilities where you take the phone away from the shop.

I also wonder how these ppl have still managed to stay on the electoral role at the old address, you cant get any credit without being registered. When we moved i didnt register us straight away at new address so when i came to get a new contract with another provider i got knocked back - reason being not on electoral role. Something very fishy is going on here.....

Little_Leita

brians_daughter wrote: »

I also wonder how these ppl have still managed to stay on the electoral role at the old address, you cant get any credit without being registered. When we moved i didnt register us straight away at new address so when i came to get a new contract with another provider i got knocked back - reason being not on electoral role. Something very fishy is going on here.....

I'm certain they arent on the electoral role here - I have had polling cards only for myself and my hubby since we moved in. I really dont understand how on earth they are getting away with it.

I wish I'd hung on to the welcome finance stuff now, but I just binned it when they said it was all being dealt with.