ZZPS - data protection

Knottygr

HI
I'm looking for a bit of advice.
I was recently contacted via ZZPS, asking me to contact them about a business matter and given a reference to quote when i did contact them. now I have never had a parking ticket, but I noticed that the reference number is the registration place of someone I know. Through speaking to them i know they are currently dealing with ZZPS regarding an outstanding ticket.

Have any data protection laws been broken here? What right did they have to obtain my phone number (or other information)? And have they broken any rules by effectively letting me know this other person has an ongoing issue with a debt collection agency?

NB: my phone number at one point (6+years) did belong to the person with the outstanding ticket. But surely they should be requesting up to date data from wherever their source is?

Thanks

Coupon-mad

Wow, that is bad. Was the contact by text only?

Why not play along and see what they say and ask how they got the number? Tell them you want to put something in writing so ask them for an email address and then send an email (with the PCN number in the subject line but also something like: 'this is nothing to do with me') forbidding them to use that phone number and requiring them to remove it from their records.

If they then ring or text again about the matter, you can report them to the ICO - in fact you probably could now, but better perhaps to nip this in the bud and if they don't comply, your resulting ICO complaint should be upheld which you could then use to sue them for 3 figure compensation for data misuse.

Plenty of PPCs are learning this - hopefully in the end, to their cost - right now. It is the new fightback against this scummy industry (PPCs and debt collectors).

pappa_golf

how long ago was the ticket issued , you refer to your phone No being available to them 6+ yrs ago , so when was the ticket issued ?

Knottygr

Ticket was issued 3 months ago, roughly, not sure as its not my ticket, but definitely no more than 6 months ago! In my haste i emailed them raising my concerns and all i got was a reply saying that they had removed my details. They didnt answer any of the questions I'd raised about where they got my details from! I've now raised my concerns with the ICO.

It's concerning how A)easily available this data is out there and the seemingly total disregard companies like this seem to have for it.

safarmuk

@C-M, Knottygr, the ICO seem to be running massively behind in their case load.

I have a case with them currently and the 30 days (service level to respond) was up at the start of 2017 ... phoned today and they said it would at least be another month before my case was assigned to a case worker (they are still working on cases logged in October apparently).

Knottygr

Just an update, this is an email trail of ZZPS's reply to my email where i raised my conerns with them....(Bold my email, Italics is their reply).


Good afternoon,

Thank you for your email.

If you are aware of the situation and the individual involved then why the cunning ruse?

If you're attempting to unnerve us with false claims of breaching the DPA then I must inform you that we had just cause to use this information.

If you would like to discuss this in more detail then kindly provide authority from the named person on the account.

Kind regards
Michael Fox

Afternoon

Can you confirm where exactly my information was obtained, and for what purpose the information was obtained? What were you trying to market to me?

I believe your previous message is nonsense and in actual fact you obtained incorrect information and contacted me in relation to an ongoing case with another individual, an individual that I know, and am therefore aware has an ongoing case with you.

I therefore believe you’ve breached data protection laws in obtaining my information without proper reason and also disclosed to me information about another individual.

I look forward to your response.

Thanks

The_Deep

Perhaps they went here


http://www.192.com/people/?gclid=CNOOrq3m0NECFVKZGwody-4FrA

Coupon-mad

kindly provide authority from the named person on the account.

What account? Mail order?