LOWELL FINANCIAL - unaware of a debt barclaycard possible identity fraud?

dolphin1_2

Not sure if I'm in the right forum category but I'm hoping someone will be able to give me some advice.

Yesterday I received a (very poor quality) letter from LOWELL FINANCIAL saying they were chasing a debt from Barclaycard for nearly £400 that I didn't know I had!! :eek:

I'm suspicious because:

Of the poor quality of the print on the letter, it just doesn't look 'official'.

The letter is addressed to me in my old surname & says the debt belongs to an address that I've not lived at for 3+ years but the letter was sent to my new address that I've lived in since Dec 2009. (I've lived at another address in the meantime)

If the debt does belong to me why have I not heard anything sooner? I did have credit cards at that house but I'm unsure if I had a Barclaycard credit card at that time.

ALSO AROUSING MY SUSPICIONS ARE:

I now have a Barclaycard credit card and my first thought was that I'd missed a payment but upon checking my payments are up to date. Surely if I owed Barclaycard this money from years ago there wouldn't have let me get another credit card with them.

I'm now wondering if someone moved into my old address (it was a private rented house) & got the credit card in my name (I did redirect my post for 12 months after I moved)

What do you sugest I do now? There is an 0844 telephone number on this letter but I don't want to ring it incase its a £1.50+ minute rip off line.

My husband suggested we rang barclaycard but as we've no account/credit card number for this supposed debt account will they be able to help?

Obviously I'm reluctant to pay for a debt that I'm unaware I had (if it does belong to me)

Has anybody else been in this situation? Any advice is appreciated.

bengalknights

check your credit file and see if its on there

stephane_2

1) Check your credit report with both Experian & Equifax to ensure that there is nothing that you should not be there.
2) If the debt is not yours & that should be quite easy for you to remember then ignore them and most of all do not contact them. At the end of the day they have to prove that the debt is yours & not you the other way round.
3) If it is your debt, then they've found you, so best to be in touch with them & arrange for repayment plan of the debt outstanding.

dolphin1_2

Yes I meant to put that on my original post, that's what I intend on doing next.

Another thing when we took out the mortgage for our new house in Nov/Dec 2009 would it not have showed up then?

dolphin1_2

I checked my credit score/report last night and my score is 900 which I believe is good.

As I scrolled down the mysterious debt was showing up as a default & that I hadn't made a payment for 8 months. I've still no idea what the debt/credit card is! You'd think if that was the case my credit score wouldn't be so good.

Hubby is going to ring Barclaycard today to ask for advice and hopefuly they'll be able to shed some light on things.

woody01

dolphin1 wrote: »

Not sure if I'm in the right forum category but I'm hoping someone will be able to give me some advice.

Yesterday I received a (very poor quality) letter from LOWELL FINANCIAL saying they were chasing a debt from Barclaycard for nearly £400 that I didn't know I had!! :eek:

I'm suspicious because:

Of the poor quality of the print on the letter, it just doesn't look 'official'.

The letter is addressed to me in my old surname & says the debt belongs to an address that I've not lived at for 3+ years but the letter was sent to my new address that I've lived in since Dec 2009. (I've lived at another address in the meantime)

If the debt does belong to me why have I not heard anything sooner? I did have credit cards at that house but I'm unsure if I had a Barclaycard credit card at that time.

ALSO AROUSING MY SUSPICIONS ARE:

I now have a Barclaycard credit card and my first thought was that I'd missed a payment but upon checking my payments are up to date. Surely if I owed Barclaycard this money from years ago there wouldn't have let me get another credit card with them.

I'm now wondering if someone moved into my old address (it was a private rented house) & got the credit card in my name (I did redirect my post for 12 months after I moved)

What do you sugest I do now? There is an 0844 telephone number on this letter but I don't want to ring it incase its a £1.50+ minute rip off line.

My husband suggested we rang barclaycard but as we've no account/credit card number for this supposed debt account will they be able to help?

Obviously I'm reluctant to pay for a debt that I'm unaware I had (if it does belong to me)

Has anybody else been in this situation? Any advice is appreciated.

Reading between the lines, i think you know the debt is yours.
Whether they can enforce it or not though is a different ball game altogether.

stephane_2

woody01 wrote: »

Reading between the lines, i think you know the debt is yours.
Whether they can enforce it or not though is a different ball game altogether.

I agree, there's a lot of "if the debt belong to me", well for me she should remember if owing money to Barclays & they've just found her....

stephane_2

dolphin1 wrote: »

I checked my credit score/report last night and my score is 900 which I believe is good.

As I scrolled down the mysterious debt was showing up as a default & that I hadn't made a payment for 8 months. I've still no idea what the debt/credit card is! You'd think if that was the case my credit score wouldn't be so good.

Hubby is going to ring Barclaycard today to ask for advice and hopefuly they'll be able to shed some light on things.

Your Experian score means absolutely nothing...presuming that the debt is yours & a default registered for that account, your credit file is trashed for the next 6 years...

dolphin1_2

If the debt does belong to me I will gladly pay it, as I said I've had credit cards for 15 years, mainly used for juggling debt. Which now I've got under control.

But what is concerning me if somebody has somehow got a barclaycard in my name at the old address.

I can't understand why I've not heard anything sooner if I've supposedly missed 8 payments?!

dolphin1_2

Hubby has just rang Barclaycard & they are baffled aswell as my 2 accounts are both up to date!

They've suggested that I send a copy of the letter from Lowell to Barclaycard head office & they'll try & get to the bottom of it.

They've also said not to contact Lowell.

So I'm still no wiser!

Ellbubb

Barclaycard may have sold the debt on to lowell and hence know nothing of it ?, But IF it is your debt offer them a low ball figure on it to settle. I did this with an old capitol one CC a few years ago that was sold on. They wanted £600 and i offered £75 they said ok :eek:.