CapQuest again!!!!

inastate

In recent weeks a company called CapQuest have been hounding me at home, work and on my mobile. I offered my address details but they said it didn't match their records so they were unable to disclose what they wanted to talk to me about.

Yesterday I received a letter at my current address stating that I owe a staggering £22547.58 from a debt they've purchased from Halifax Plc. In the letter they accuse me of refusing to answer their questions to confirm my identity and say that I terminated a call - which is untrue.

Background.
1/ I had a mortgage with Halifax from 1991 until I transferred to Intelligent Finance (a Halifax company) in 2002. This was cleared with a house sale in 2004.
2/ I took out a loan for £5,000 with Halifax in 2001 and another for the same amount in 2003.
3/ All of my debts were paid off from the sale of another house (mortgaged by another company) in February 2007 and I have lived what I thought was a debt-free life since then.
4/ This morning I spoke to CapQuest and explained that I didn't think the loan was mine and that all outstanding debts to the Halifax had been cleared. They said I'd made a payment to them in December 2007! Which I again denied.
5/ After the call I recalled a couple of years back (might have been CapQuest, I can't remember) coming after me for an unpaid overdraft (again to the Halifax) for £60. I said to them then I hadn't had a bank account with the Halifax since 2002 so could they produce some evidence. They stopped hassling me.

OK, in terms of this latest insane debt claim what should I do now? They've given me until October 12 to make an arrangement to pay. If I don't they'll refer me to HL Legal who will commence proceedings.

Obviously such a large amount would not be covered by a CCJ and I'm currently trying to get a new mortgage so this could be a disaster. Interestingly the debt doesn't show on any of the credit checks I've looked at.

Any advice for me?

Tixy

Don't speak to them by phone again.

Respond to their letter with the prove it letter - to which then would then need to provide evidence that you owe the money, which at least would tell which alleged debt this relates to and how the balance is made up.

It may be that it is not your debt at all, but another person with the same name?

Prove it letter here -
Letter when you know nothing about about the debt - AKA "Prove it" letter

While you are waiting for them to reply - it might be worth trying to see what paperwork you might be able to dig out in relation to the debts repaid in 2007.

shedhead55

Don't be panicked by the Oct 12th deadline. By sending the "prove it" letter suggested by Tixy you are disputing the debt, and while the debt is in dispute no collection activity may take place, this includes setting up payment plans, threats of legal action or any other attempts to make you pay. If in the meantime you are contacted by HL legal then simply reply in writing explaining that the matter is in dispute and point out that you are aware of the OFT guidelines that prohibit collection activity while a debt is disputed.

Eddie1975

Hi, hope you don't mind me posting on the end of here, wasn't sure where to put this. I've been called by Capquest a few times, and after reading about them on here ignored the calls on my mobile, but they managed to get hold of me at work on Friday, asking for my postcode, which I said I didnt want to give out over the phone, they didnt mention what it was about, said they had sent me two letters (have had nothing) but I cant talk at work so wanted to end the call quickly, said I'd call them back, which he said he note down, he gave me a reference no. which is different to the reference no. to quote when they text me.

Should I call back tomorrow to see if they can give me more detail (I have no idea what it could be), as they will probably call me at work again, should I ask them to write to me with details? my husband doesnt want me to give them our address as they may not have it, but cant see how I can move forward with this without getting something in writing, any advice would be welcome as not sure what to say to them if I call back! Thanks

Gordon_Hose

No, don't call them. If they call you again do not go through their security questions, simply tell them to put it in writing and hang up.

Eddie1975

Thank you Gordon. Will do as you suggest, and wait and see if anything turns up at my current address.

inastate

Following the great advice in another thread I sent 'prove it' letter to CapQuest who then stopped phoning me. They subsequently wrote a letter asking if I had ever lived at a particular address - which I did seven years ago. They asked me to d this in writing by the deadline of Sunday October 21st and stated 'this is a request not a demand'.

Guessing the advice would still be don't contact them I ignored the 'request' and guess what, the phone calling started again this morning with the caller trying to extract info from my 15 year old daughter who answered my mobile.

What should I do now?

FireWyrm

Well, its pretty straight forward. They are convinced that you are the person they are looking for. Your silence actually achieved nothing but to confirm that suspicion. My next step would be another letter which refers to the original stating that this debt is not acknowledged. I take it that the 'prove it' letter actually produced some evidence? Use it. If the credit agreement is for a given address on a given date, state in your letter that you were not living at this address at that time and even if you were, it would be statute barred by now as the 6 years has passed.

In short, silence isnt getting you anywhere. You need to co-operate to some extent in order to nip this one in the bud. However, be wary of offering too much information or unsolicited information - it is not for you to prove that you are not liable, it is for them to prove that you are.

If you still have no workable 'evidence' from the 'prove it' letter round, then send another stating that you are now being harrassed by them and you will report them to the OFT if they :

a) dont produce useful evidence showing your liability
b) continue to pursue you at your current residence without being able to prove liability
c) continue to attempt to extract personal information from an underage person who is not even connected with your financial affairs.

fermi

Well, something along the lines of the letter in this link.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=34906257&postcount=5

Adapted a bit, so that it is a follow up to the original prove it stating that you will not be supplying them with any personal information.

Gordon_Hose

I'd carry on ignoring them personally.

inastate

Well, something along the lines of the letter in this link.
Adapted a bit, so that it is a follow up to the original prove it stating that you will not be supplying them with any personal information.

I don't think this letter would work for me. When I was first contacted by them last month they stated that I had made a payment in December 2007. Back then I was extremely ill (breakdown brought on by debt and harassment from debt collectors) and have no recollection of it. I can't find any evidence of having made a payment, but I was being hounded day and night and am concerned that I might have accidentally paid them a small sum to stop further action. I know I did this with a few companies back then.

Should I tell CapQuest all addresses going back ten years?

Should I write to the Halifax for confirmation that the debt was repaid in full?

Not sure what to do now...