Power 2 Connect/ Power to Connect

Living_proof

This is probably in the wrong forum so please boot me elsewhere if so.

I have recently moved house and have a redirection service on my mail. The house remains empty and as far as I am aware I am getting all my mail.

My old neighbour has been in touch today and said she was approached by a shifty looking guy with an ID tag who was looking for the occupant of my old house. He said he was acting for the gas board but my neighbour was suspicious and went after him and he said he was with a company called Power to Connect. She told him she was in touch with me and could she help and he went off in his Volvo estate.

I have always paid my gas by direct debit and in fact had quite a sizeable refund once I submitted my readings and have not had any further communication with the gas company since. I am very suspicious as it could be someone who has obtained some personal details of mine and will abuse them. My children have recently had fraud committed on their mobile accounts (which I pay).

Has anyone come across anything like this please?

chanz4

Its likely the new occupier or owner hasnt registered

Living_proof

There isn't a new owner or occupier. It is empty awaiting marketing for sale.

ghostfinder

power to connect are a tracing agent, sometimes used for debt collection.

chanz4

Doesnt matter, the property is still owned until sold.

Living_proof

Thanks for your responses. I have checked all my utility accounts from the oldl house and they were all refunded to me after I left, so nothing owing there and certainly not the gas. I have no debt other than mortgage which expires later this year and will be paid off by an endowment. What worries me is identity fraud - maybe someone is using my address for fraudulent acts. The post itself is being forward for a year, but I wouldn't know if I wasn't getting something, would I? It would be lying in a heap behind the letter box. A friend looked round the house some time ago and said there was no end of junk mail which he disposed of, but I am quite sure he would forward on anything personally addressed to me. Power to Contact and Power to Connect seem to belong in the same stable. All very worrying.

ghostfinder

Have a look at you credit files, noddle is free.

chanz4

But if the utility company has no live account, they do visits to check

Fire_Fox

Check your files held by the three credit reference agencies, any debt registered to you at your current or any previous addresses should appear on there. You can have notes of correction added if there are any errors/ warnings to companies to double check ID as you may have been a victim of identity fraud in the past. There is an article on credit ratings on the main MSE site.

Living_proof

Thanks Fire Fox, I will check them all out. One thing has occurred to me whilst looking through various websites - the Power2 folk also check residence, or lack of, for local authorities. I am just coming to the end of the free six months of council tax for unoccupied dwellings and from now on have to pay 50%, so maybe that was what the guy was checking up on. Why lie and say he was from the gas board though? I doubt I will ever get to the bottom of it.

SwanJon

Living_proof wrote: »

There isn't a new owner or occupier. It is empty awaiting marketing for sale.

chanz4 wrote: »

Doesnt matter, the property is still owned until sold.

Think this is the issue.
It looks like you are responsible for the bills - including standing charge. Without any other information they will also estimate reads and will chase any bill that these create.

You may have moved out, but your responsibility remains.