BPO debt collection harassment

carenza163

Does anyone have any advice what I can do about this?

A few weeks back I got a letter from a company called BPO collections demanding a payment of £1700. I called them knowing the debt was not mine and they told me it was a debt they bought from Lowell Finance and related to a default with Lloyds. After some discussion, they advised me it had been an incorrect trace, apologised and said they would send it back to the trace department.

As soon as this happened, I got my credit report from Equifax and there is nothing on there for this 'debt'. That's good right? However I have since had 3 calls from BPO still on about this. I went through the whole thing yet again with them this evening and mentioned it's not on my credit report. The woman told me the debt is definitely registered to me. I asked her if she could see my credit report, then why can they not see that I have no affiliation with the address this debt was originally registered to. She didn't have an answer to that.

I am at my wits end and with this. If this is not on my credit report, who the heck do they think I am? And how do I stop them making these calls late in the evening where we have the same conversation over and over? I'm not an aggressive person but I definitely made some threats about harassment this evening if they didn't stop the calls for a debt that's not mine. The whole thing seems almost like a scam as for an apparent debt of £1700 the letter originally offered a payment of just 40% to settle it. The whole thing just seems very weird to me, but it's worrying

Tixy

You could send them the telephone harrasment letter.

If they write to you again send them the prove it letter.

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

and Harassment by telephone

happy_bunny_2

Send them this:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=11570893&postcount=2

Don't sign it.

Write to them, formal complaint, including the info about incorrect trace and tell them you are reporting them to the OFT for harassment when the debt is not yours.

If its old, it wouldn't be on your credit file anyhow. Even if yours.

carenza163

Thanks, I will definitely send them the letter. I know it's not mine, while on the phone with one of them they actually told me the address the debt was registered to which I can prove, and my credit report proves, I have never lived at.

So this debt can't adversely affect my credit rating even if they have it registered to me? I'm confused about that as I thought an unsettled debt would have stuck on my report?

Tixy

It could adversely affect you if they incorrectly registered it on your credit file (if they link your name and address to the correct name and address), and registered a default date within the last 6 years.

If they did that then you would need to complain to get it removed. The fact that they haven't done so yet means they are not that likely to, but worth checking again in a month or so just to be sure.

carenza163

Hmm, well I guess the fact I'm not seeing anything untoward on my credit file is a positive given the original letter is from a month ago. I have printed the letter and will send it first thing recorded delivery and hope that stops the calls and ends the matter.