Profile Pensions letter

SeniorSam

My son had one of these letters from Profile Pensions. in Preston. It seems that they are sending them out like confetti, similar in one way to 'cold calling' , but trying to get a few people, who don't really understand, to sign documents that allows them to take a cut of the pot.

Do be very careful with anything unsolicited asking for a signature.

Would you give them your bank details and password as well? Sign up and get far less for something that is totally free by just asking the Government Pension service yourselves if you feel you have lost a pension.

jamesd

thewinelake wrote: »

These guys seem to think that's not vital, and they write to HMRC requesting the information based purely on your name/address/NI number. So presumably I could also write to HMRC with such a vague query?

Yes, you could contact the HMRC contracted out helpline and ask them what their records show for the schemes that caused you to be contracted out of the earnings-related part of the state pension.

Assuming the new pensions dashboard launches the scheme may also show up there. Expected in 2019, may be delayed.

scatterjames

I got one of these letters from Profile Pensions today.

This is a total scam as the letter has been written to look like an official letter from the UK Government.

Avoid.

Mattyhelifish

These blighters are very persistant!

Just received a second letter from them where they open with " We wrote to you in March"!
Ummmm, why do you think I didn't respond then???

Apart from the appearance of the "letter", there are two glaring things that turned me off: 1. It quite clearly shows the address of Profile Pensions to be in Preston, when the return envelope is addressed to Slough! & 2. There is a Sun newsrag style PRINTED stamp on the envelope with "First class priority service" at a jaunty angle!

I personally get very nervous when a company contacts you out of the blue without being requested and wanting your NI number aswell as your signature!

I am avoiding at all costs

bh01

Read that form carefully. I got one. If I'd signed and sent back I'd have given Profile Pensions permission to act on my behalf including withdrawing money from the government with whatever tax implications for me. This type of sharp practice should be criminal.

Faroukh

I agree. I received a brown envelope from this company. It looked "governmenty" with Preston as the town of posting. I have many HMG letters from Preston but... it was not from the Government, this brown envelope from Preston!



I imagine, with the PPI claim frenzy coming to an end, such companies will be moving on to other ways of making money. My letter was very much in the PPI style and informed that this Profile Pensions setup in Preston would find money that I may have paid into pension schemes (they all send me yearly statements anyway) if I give away - to complete strangers, further to a brown envelope coming in out of the blue - my NI number and worse, my Date of Birth.



Senior Sam is right - would I give my bank details and password? No. I would not.



A friend once upon a time had a phone call at 3am.. caught totally off-guard, he answered the "What is your mother's maiden name?" question and, next day, £3,000 had vanished from his account. Obviously that was the last piece of info the scammers needed. Shiver.


There was no mention of the fees in this "Profile Pensions" letter. I ripped it up and it is in the box for burning all personal mail and papers. I imagine if I replied, my NI No. and DOB would be all over the place, probably placing me on a suckers' list, so let the letters and calls flood in!



No thanks. And thanks to you all on this page! You helped me arrive at a conclusion that was almost made! Thanks again. F.

01d1ady

Help I signed and sent back. What should I do now

Marcon

01d1ady wrote: »

Help I signed and sent back.

Why did you sign and send back?

jamesd

01d1ady wrote: »

Help I signed and sent back. What should I do now

You should:

1. first contact each pension provider you use and tell them that:
a. you've unknowingly signed a permissions letter that might enable pension fraud
b. they should not act on any requests from them
c. they should contact you directly before acting on any transfer instructions
d. if their systems allow it they should let you tell them an extra password and not act on anything not accompanied by that password

2. Contact them and tell them that you have changed your mind and withdraw permission to act for you. After you've finished 1.

Alansp

Hi All,
The letter I received requests Date of Birth as well and has full name and postcode.
Surely this gives these scammers a red carpet into your bank account. No doubt there will be some excuse soon to get your account number and sort code.
Then the bank will say you gave this out yourself, we're not going to compensate you.
Please be careful Folks, there are an awful lot if bandits out there.