Opening bank account without ID check at Credit Reference Agency

ChemMan

The Background:

I have some debt and am being pursued by a debt collection company which has resulted in sending a summons to my address - it's been returned unopened.

I have read about this debt collection company and firm of solicitors which have issued the summons and they employ dirty tactics such as sending a summons to a previous address so that judgement is entered in default as the defendant isn't able to respond to the summons.

They then send bailiffs around to the new address.
I'm nearly 6 years into this debt matter and close to it being statute barred.

I expect this to happen and have little defence against it, I then think there is a possibility that they might try to recover the debt by freezing my bank account (interim debt order) so I want to prepare for this by setting up a new bank account.

The thing I'm worried about is setting up a new bank account and having the bank carry out an ID check against a credit reference agency and the credit reference agency recording the ID check has been carried out and then the debt collection agency then discovering that.

So I have two questions:
1) Can the debt collection agency see the ID checks on the credit report which are requested/carried out by other organisations? ( I'm aware of the idea of there being hard and soft checks).

2) Does anyone know of a bank account (a basic bank account) that can be set up where the ID checks carried out are purely on paper documents such as passport, driver's license, utility bills and not doing an electronic check against a credit reference agency?

Greatly appreciate it if anyone can answer the two questions.

tgirl

Not sure but I opened a basic account with Nationwide online without providing any ID at all to a branch.

Tixy

I think, but don't know for certain, that they wouldn't see a search for identity verification. Even if they can see such a search they wouldn't see who had performed the search or for what purpose.

Is your aim just for them not to know you have opened a new bank account?

Some (most?) basic bank accounts report to your credit file once opened.

I don't know of any mainstream banks that definitely don't identity check with the credit reference agencies.

ChemMan

I believe there to be a legal requirement under money laundering legislation that the banks have to do an ID check, and most as far as I can see do it electronically against the credit reference agency and only use paper document verification in case the electronic check fails.

ChemMan

My aim is to 'dissappear' so that from a certain date I can not in anyway be traced. The only way they can find out details of the new bank account is by getting judgement against me (likely if they send the summons to a previous address) and issuing an application compelling me to attend an "Oral Examination", these letters will go back to the court unopened and therefore not 'served'. It's mostly about wanting to dissappear completely so they can't find where I live.

ChemMan

I don't want any activity against my name and address when opening and subsequently using a new basic bank account. I know that when opening a basic bank account, you can find banks that won't do a credit check (credit checks are hard searches and are definitely logged on the credit report which debt collector agencies can see). So opening a basic bank account goes some way to my dissappearing, ceasing to exist.

ghostmadlittlemiss

All bank accounts report back to credit reference agencies once they're set up. And quite frankly, you're not going to get much help with your selfish plan here as this is a forum for people who actually want to deal with their debts. I suggest you man up and do the same.

Lensman_2

I presume you will register your bank account at your current address and then move on.

That way the credit file update that the bank will do contains an out of date reference.

You will need to stay very well hidden. Someone determined chasing an enforcement order could find you through a mobile phone (for instance). Gas, electric.

I suspect your thinking is short term. And your strategy is long term. Staying "on the run" would need to be sustained for years.

Personally I would bone up on the law, get a copy of that summons and meet it head on.

A brief search of a consumer forum dedicated to court claims (like Financial Legal Issues on CAG or Legal Beagles) will show how rare it is that they have all the paperwork they need when a claim is defended properly.

But I am guessing a simple court claim is only part of the story...

stevemLS

The fact that you return letters unopened does not affect the validity of their service.

Service is valid if taken or posted to the defendant's last known address.

If the debt is sufficiently large and you persist in your foolish plan, you may find the judgment creditor employs someone to trace you possibly even personally serve you with orders.

You run the risk, in my view, of being hauled before the court for contempt.