Letter from MIB claiming we owe them £6.5K

Diamonds_2

Hi there, I hope this is in the right place, I am so worried and just wanted to see if anyone could give me a bit of advice before I go to a solicitor.

Just before Christmas, completely out of the blue, a letter arrived from the Motoring Insurance Bureau stating that my partner had been involved in a car accident 7 years ago (news to us) and the claimant had had to go through the MIB to claim injuries and they had had to pay out £6,5000. They stated the car registation number and model which we recognise as a car we used to own but we were never, ever, in any accident.

So my partner rings this company as soon as he get's in work and tells them he knows nothing about this whatsoever. They ask him is he believes it to be a fraudulent claim which my partners agrees that it must be! The MIB say that the claimant had had to claim via the MIB because my partner had no insurance. Now, this is absolute rubbish because even if my partner was involved in a car accident he has always, always had insurance. In fact, due to his job (he is a car mechanic) he had trade motor insurance at the time of this alledged accident.

Basically, our car registration has been plucked out of the air by some criminal and used to claim???? even though the car was never involved in any accident that we know of. With it being 7 years ago we cannot remember if we were actually the owners of the vehicle because my partner changes his cars all the time, but the MIB have said that they have obtained his details via the DVLA and this is how they have been able to contact him. But why didn't they contact him 7 years ago for gods sake? and why are they paying out these false claimants willy nilly? surely to god they could have contacted us all those years ago to state that this claim had been lodged?

Anyway, my partner has rang his old bank (now a closed account as we have lived abroad and moved around quite a lot since this alledged accident) and has asked them if there's any way of getting copies of his bank statements from 7 years ago to prove he had insurance?? the bank have said he needs to make an appoitment so that's something he'll probably have to do at some stage fairly soon.

The MIB rang him on New Years Eve saying that he needs to get a solicitor because they're issuing a CCJ??? against him!! we were absolutely shocked and so very upset over New Year, so worried and stressed about it.

I just thought I would see if there was anyone out there who might know if they have a leg to stand on seeing as we're totally innocent of any wrongdoing.

Strider590

I could be wrong here..... BUT

?? You (you partner) sold a car to someone who did not register it in their name and did not insure the vehicle.....
At the very least your in trouble for not passing the new owners details to the DVLA ??

Reggie_Rebel

More likely to be the Men in Black rather than the Motor Insurance bureau, what number are they giving you?

Diamonds_2

Strider590 wrote: »

I could be wrong here..... BUT

?? You (you partner) sold a car to someone who did not register it in their name and did not insure the vehicle.....
At the very least your in trouble for not passing the new owners details to the DVLA ??

We just cannot remember, we have wracked our brains and all we know is that I was heavily pregnant at the time.. but car's come and go in our life so it's quite possible the car was sold (it was only a cheapy car.. we never have fancy cars lol).

Diamonds_2

Reggie_Rebel wrote: »

More likely to be the Men in Black rather than the Motor Insurance bureau, what number are they giving you?

The letter seems legitimate.. haven't got the number but I will ask my boyfriend for it when he rings me at lunch time.. he wants me to get on to the citizens advice today so I'm currently looking for the number of our local one.. that's if there is one.. do you think it's worth going to see the Citizens advice or just straight to a solicitor?

Diamonds_2

The number of the MIB which is on the letter is 0114 231 7400

WhiteHorse

First, Google MIB, this will tell you who they are. You will find a Wiki entry that tells you a lot. Make sure that the people contacting you are actually the MIB, not some shyster firm deliberately using a lookalike name.

Assuming that they are genuine, then your problem may well be that you failed to properly notify the DVLA of a change of ownership. It is also possible that some sort of fraud is taking place.

If there is some sort of genuine problem do not deal with them over the phone. Ever. Everything in writing. Do not respond in any way until you have seen a solicitor.

verybigchris

Diamonds wrote: »

The number of the MIB which is on the letter is 0114 231 7400

Googling that number brings up this page which makes it look like a scam.

alanrowell

Odd, the MIB is based in Milton Keynes

http://www.mib.org.uk/Company+Information/en/Contact+Information/Default.htm

I'd phone them there as there is some smell of sea food about this

chalkie99

The MIB contact number shown on their website is 01908 830001

Call that number and ask if the number you have is theirs also.

chalkie99

verybigchris wrote: »

Googling that number brings up this page which makes it look like a scam.

Yes - to add -


this is a quote from one of the messages:

Close Credit Management (CCM) Banner Jones Solicitors a subsidary of Close Brothers Bank Based in the Isle of Man.

They are a debt collection agency, and are chasing me for a motorcycle accident in 2003 that i never had and the motor insurance bereaux have paid out £21,000 as an uninsured loss... Not had an accident for 28 years, anyway told him to jog on and go to court silly little prat.