PRA GROUP ARE NOW EMAILING ME AT WORK - ON MY WORKS EMAIL - UNENFORCEABLE DEBT. Boss May See It?

Want2BeDebtFree

Hi Guys!
I've not been around for AGES now so I do apologise! But that's a GOOD thing because nothing much has been happening -- and I truly thought the pandemic would (sort of) keep these debt Collection Agencies at bay?  Obviously not.  (By the way - sorry I cannot find my original thread, as its so old now, as I've been on this site for a couple of years - and thank goodness for this site too!!)

However twice now PRA GROUP have sent me an Email AT MY WORKS EMAIL ADDRESS!  I work for a huge multinational company and I am terrified my boss might see these emails.  Is this legal for them to be emailing me at work?  And how ON EARTH did they FIND my work's Email address?  I don't think I even HAD this email address when the debt was originally on-going (and was still being paid via installments in 2017).  I obviously STOPPED paying it 2yrs ago when it became unenforceable (and I have that in writing safely stored away). 

Obviously we have to tolerate the letters in the post.  But Emails to a private company?  Is that allowed?  Wouldn't that surely be on a par with nuisance phone calls, and texts from them?  I have written to previous Debt Collection Agencies to point out that its illegal for them to text me, and the text's stopped and so did the phonecalls.  But I truly do not know how to handle this challenge, because I don't know the legalities?  

Below is a fragment of the email which I photographed (on my phone) from my work's PC Monitor, and then deleted... (It doesn't threaten me - its all just the normal blah blah blah - because they KNOW its unenforceable, so its all the usual "Would you like to begin payments again -- how can we help you?" -- that kind of crap... 

At the VERY bottom of the Email was an "UNSUBSCRIBE" Hyperlink...  But I am worried that if I CLICK on this UNSUBSCRIBE hyperlink - it might be construed as me ACKNOWLEDGING the debt!!  And I want this debt to eventually become Statute Barred.  

Do I write to them??  What do I do??  AND HOW did they GET MY WORKS EMAIL ADDRESS???  It is just unbelievable??  Everything on the email was correct.. My name, address, the amount outstanding, the account number, and who the debt was originally with!  So its definitely NOT a SPAM.... 
Thanks Guys 

MalMonroe

If it's come via Barclays, which it seems to have, could they have passed your email address along?

Don't unsubscribe, can't you just block the email address the messages are coming from and then delete the message?  I just use googlemail but there's a facility on there where I can block unwanted people if I need to so your system probably has that facility too, under 'settings'. 

Galloglass

You have the right to have your personal data (your email address) rectified. You would have to contact them, which I assume is their aim, and to provide other means of contacting you.

https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/guide-to-law-enforcement-processing/individual-rights/the-right-to-rectification/

Clicking on the email does not acknowledge the debt but just delete it anyway. 

How they get your information is by data matching, though it does not always work as some people have common names and get associated with another [wrong] individual - which is why you now have this right to have your details rectified / clarified.

prowla

Just add to junk senders.

Tigsteroonie

If you work for a large company, is there a chance that your email addresses are standardised to e..g  firstname.surname@company or initialsurname@company?  They may just have had a punt at the email address, or have hired somebody who used to work there and so knows the format so took a shot ....

Want2BeDebtFree

prowla said:

Just add to junk senders.

Thank you - but what if my BOSS see's these emails?  My company can monitor ALL my incoming Emails [remotely] any time they like. And this could be classed as "MISUSE OF A PRIVATE EMAIL ADDRESS FOR WORKS PURPOSES ONLY" and I  could get instant dismissal for misuse - and this is not long before my retirement. 

There is also the privacy issue to be addressed.  And HOW did they get my Email in the first place?  I should not have to be "blocking them", or "deleting" them, or whatever -- they should not be sending them in the first place!  But I want to know in CONCRETE what to do, because it's like a "chess game" and EVERY move has repercussions.  

So I kinda will wait till I hear from Sourcrates (on this thread) as he's been my Champion throughout this 10 year nightmare.  

sourcrates

I would go with the advice from Galloglass, you won`t acknowledge the debt by clicking on an email link, and under GDPR you can choose how to be contacted, and how not to be contacted.

That`s the only way to deal with it unfortunatly.

Want2BeDebtFree

sourcrates said:

I would go with the advice from Galloglass, you won`t acknowledge the debt by clicking on an email link, and under GDPR you can choose how to be contacted, and how not to be contacted.

That`s the only way to deal with it unfortunatly.

Huh??  OMG so very dumb when it comes to these things?  So do you mean click on "UNSUBSCRIBE" (on the hyperlink at the bottom of the email)... Or actually go through the motions (again) of writing to them, with letter via Royal Mail that is FULLY tracked and traced (with Royal Mail Tracker Number) telling them to CEASE all email's to my works Email address with immediate effect.  And put at the top of the letter, "NO PREJUDICE" .... (Was the the word??  "NO PREJUDICE"??  Its been so long now since I've sent a letter I've forgot the "drill")  

Thanks ALL in advance!!!   (AND STAY SAFE FROM COVID!!!!!)  

ryanm8655

Click unsubscribe is I think what they mean...

sourcrates

Want2BeDebtFree said:

sourcrates said:

I would go with the advice from Galloglass, you won`t acknowledge the debt by clicking on an email link, and under GDPR you can choose how to be contacted, and how not to be contacted.

That`s the only way to deal with it unfortunatly.

Huh??  OMG so very dumb when it comes to these things?  So do you mean click on "UNSUBSCRIBE" (on the hyperlink at the bottom of the email)... Or actually go through the motions (again) of writing to them, with letter via Royal Mail that is FULLY tracked and traced (with Royal Mail Tracker Number) telling them to CEASE all email's to my works Email address with immediate effect.  And put at the top of the letter, "NO PREJUDICE" .... (Was the the word??  "NO PREJUDICE"??  Its been so long now since I've sent a letter I've forgot the "drill")  

Thanks ALL in advance!!!   (AND STAY SAFE FROM COVID!!!!!)  

A simple letter stating you wish your works email address to be deleted from your contact information, is all that should be required.

"without predjudice" is a term used to denote any information disclosed in this letter cannot later be used against you in a court of law, i don`t think that is going to be necessary to be honest.

And as a side note, i get all kinds of rubbish sent to my works email, if my bosses took note of it, they would think they employed a gambling, canabis using bit coin trader with an erectile dysfunction problem, who does a lot of buisness in Nigeria, with long lost relatives he has never met, I wouldnt worry too much to be honest.

redpete

Your work email system probably has a spam filter, you should be able to mark all emails form that address as spam and you won't see them.  If you mark them for filtering / deletion your company can hardly accuse you of using your work email address for personal purposes.