Solarplicity debt collection - - SCAM??

ClareJoBo

I have just recieved a threatening email from ABD recovery asking me to settle my Solarplicity debt. I was a customer of Solarplicity and had complained to the Ombudsman (who found in my favour). After the collapse, I was left with a debt of £37.82 which I paid two years ago.

This morning I had an email from ABD recovery in Salford demanding I pay the £37.82 now discounted to £15.13.  I am not sure if this is a scam of some sort so thought I would flag it up with you all. I have tried ringing the number in the email but it does not connect. Their given web address does not work, (ABDrecovery.com) but ABD recovery does seem to be registered at Companies House at the address given although one site says it is dormant.  There is a similar sounding ABDrecovery.co.uk website for a company also based in Salford but the webpage is only a front page.  It is a worry if it is a scam as they have a lot of information about me - which suggests that the Solarplicity customer database has been hacked from the orginal administrators

Any thoughts

ClareJoBo

Have just reported to ICO

booshya

ClareJoBo said:

I have just recieved a threatening email from ABD recovery asking me to settle my Solarplicity debt. I was a customer of Solarplicity and had complained to the Ombudsman (who found in my favour). After the collapse, I was left with a debt of £37.82 which I paid two years ago.

This morning I had an email from ABD recovery in Salford demanding I pay the £37.82 now discounted to £15.13.  I am not sure if this is a scam of some sort so thought I would flag it up with you all. I have tried ringing the number in the email but it does not connect. Their given web address does not work, (ABDrecovery.com) but ABD recovery does seem to be registered at Companies House at the address given although one site says it is dormant.  There is a similar sounding ABDrecovery.co.uk website for a company also based in Salford but the webpage is only a front page.  It is a worry if it is a scam as they have a lot of information about me - which suggests that the Solarplicity customer database has been hacked from the orginal administrators

Any thoughts

ClareJoBo said:

Have just reported to ICO

Welcome to MSE.

If you have received an email from an address ending @abdrecovery.com, you can be assured it is FAKE, as that domain is not registered.

The fact the phone number does not connect should have been a good hint too.

The ICO will not be able to assist as you cannot identify who sent you the email, or more importantly their genuine contact details.

Is there no other contact details given? Seems a complete waste of time when the email address is FAKE and the telephone number does not connect.

If you have previously paid the £37.82 you owed to Solarplicity, don't worry. Presumably you have proof you have paid should the need ever arise.

If you do not wish to receive any further such emails, then block/blacklist all emails from @abdrecovery.com (usually using *@abdrecovery.com), as that domain is not registered.

MAN_UK

Hi ClareJoBo; rather than creating a new thread though to reply to yours by way of attracting wider visibility

I have received an email from ABD recovery too

Very concerned that if this is a data breach which is what it appears to be lord knows how our personal information could be abused...

Yes agreed re being dormant, however, companies house has the company started trading as of Aug 6th 2021 with one person associated with it

The phone number 0208-058-6067 is a VOIP number which is redirected to London operated by operated by IP Voice Networks Ltd

The domain name abdrecovery.co.uk was registered on Dec 15 2021

Unless you have done this already, if you look up the post code M5 3FN it is a block of flats in Salford

The original recovery company Corporate Debt Solutions who were a nightmare to deal with (this is another saga especially given that Solarplicity owned me money) have been taken over by another organisation called Barratt Smith & Brown (BSD). Outlining the latter as strangely they emailed me back in Nov 2021 purporting another company “Debts Solved Limited” has been doing the same as “ABD recovery”

I am planning to contact the Police fraud line (actionfraud) tomorrow, I would suggest for you to do same if you have not done already

This appears to be more than a spam email especially given the personal information contained in the email they have sent to us both

Lets see how widespread the issue is pending feedback on here

ClareJoBo

Thanks. I will do as you suggest.

NatalieHarrichand

Hi, I got this too and was thinking it was genuine due to the details. But Solarplicity actually owes me money as they never took the last readings and estimaited. I will report to the police fraud line.

FreeBear

Might be of interest - https://www.thamesvalleyalert.co.uk/da/403230/Oxford_Neighbourhood_Watch_and_Community_Newsletter_7-11-21.html - Looks like there has been a data breach (wonder if it has been reported to the ICO).

Keeping an eye on this one as I was also a Solarplicity customer before they transferred me to Toto the Clowns.

MAN_UK

@FreeBear thanks for the link

@NatalieHarrichand @ClareJoBo have contacted Police Action Fraud this morning

There are a few very "interesting" anomalies in the email from ABDRecovery that I don’t wish to share on this post as anyone including the originator of the email can see/correct, however, these have been shared in the report to the police.

Don’t believe there is PM function on this board, let me know otherwise and happy to share these with you

The main issue of focus here is that clearly there has been some kind of data breach that appears it has not been reported to the ICO given the personally identifiable information contained in the emails

@NatalieHarrichand it would be prudent to contact the ICO and raise the matter with them in view of the note above, as I understand ClareJOBO has already done this and I have done same too

RoryL

Just to say that I had the same email this morning. Funnily enough my situation is exactly the same as the OP insofar as I also had a dispute with Solarplicity with the ombudsman. They never did send me that letter of the apology which the ombudsman decreed. Anyway just to say that perhaps this indicates the ombudsman's record keeping has been compromised. Could just be a coincidence.

MAN_UK

Hi @RoryL probably best to follow-up and lodge a report with the Police Action Fraud and the ICO

Given the personally identifiable information in the content, hopefully the source of the breach is investigated before the data is subsequently used nefariously

faithhorse

I also had this email at the end of last week, despite having paid CSD in March 2020.
I did have a load of problems dealing with CSD but it didn't get as far as the ombudsman so I don't think that's the link. It seems the data breach can only have come from CSD, (or BSB as they now are). I have emailed BSB for an explanation but only had a 'we are looking into it' email so far.
I also looked into reporting to the ICO but their website seemed to suggest that I had to contact the offending company first. But I'm guessing you can bypass this if a couple of you have managed to report it already.....