Money being demanded for a loan I don’t know about

JamieBadman

I have received numerous emails to an email address I rarely use demanding money for a debt I supposedly owe.

The email comes from a company called ACI who say they bought a debt of mine from another company.

As far as I’m aware, I am debt free. I owe nothing.

So I asked them to explain to me what the debt was for and they refuse to do so, saying that before they can disclose anything they require me to provide further details about myself (current address, DOB etc). I refuse to do so, and they then say without that info they can’t tell me anything. They sent me a portal login that shows the debt and allows me to pay, so I asked them to simply add details there about what it is for but they continue to refuse to engage without me providing more personal info.

I’m frustrated. Is this a legal demand for money? Can they really have me pay for something without disclosing what the debt was for? I have no personal debt, no mortgage, nothing. This makes no sense, except perhaps if someone stole my identity. 

What should I do next? Is there a good way to handle this?

MikeJXE

Personally and I might be wrong but I wouldn't tell them anything till they come up with some proof 

It could be a scam 

macman

It's up to them to prove the debt. Until they do, block and ignore.
Sounds just like a data fishing scam.
A genuine debt collector will establish your address and send you a letter, not a speculative email.

JamieBadman

Thanks. I checked them out and they appear to be a genuine company that buys debt, but their only method of communication has been via email or their portal. I have received nothing to my home address through the post, which makes me think they don’t know what it is. As you say, and as I’ve done so far, I shouldn’t give them any more info. However I am worried about this.

MorningcoffeeIV

JamieBadman said:

This makes no sense, except perhaps if someone stole my identity. 

Highly unlikely.

What does make sense is that you have a similar name to the debt-avoiding reprobate.

JamieBadman

MorningcoffeeIV said:

JamieBadman said:

This makes no sense, except perhaps if someone stole my identity. 

Highly unlikely.

More likely that you have a similar name to the debt-avoiding reprobate.

This never occurred to me… this is very possible and why I’ve not received anything through the post… thanks for this.

MalMonroe

Hi, while you could indeed have a similar name to a debt-avoiding reprobate, that's irrelevant as the company asking you for payment should supply you with details of your alleged debt.

The company may well be an established company but scammers know how to hack into companies' accounts, just as they know how to hack into anyone else's - such as yours.

If it were me I'd ignore all and any emails until I received a letter through the post. As macman says above, if it's genuine, they will write to you in the proper manner and then you will have every opportunity to address their concerns. Please do block and ignore. Don't engage with them any more because that way they will just get more information from you. And if I were you, I'd also change all my passwords, as we are advised to do on a regular basis in order to safeguard our accounts and details. 

Any email demanding payment but refusing to explain why raises red flags. (Whether they are chasing the right person or not.)

Please do forward their original email to :  report@phishing.gov.uk

As per the information in the following government link - https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/collection/phishing-scams/report-scam-email

sourcrates

ACI are not scammers, they are a genuine debt collection agency, however, if they want to get serious, they will write to you.

Sending vague texts and emails is cheap you see, and is standard practice for most debt collectors.
It gets your attention and usually induces contact.

They won’t speak to you because you refuse to go through security, and in order to comply with data protection, to get you to pay, they have to be sure you are the debtor.

If they do write to you, you should respond with the provit letter, available in the sticky section on the debt free wannabe forum.

Until then you can ignore them, they must write to you legally to collect the debt if you don’t respond to their initial collection activity.

Frequentlyhere

Would it not just be best to give ACI a call to a) ensure this is real and b) clarify what it relates to?  If it's a mistake or isn't meant for you then great, but if it isn't it still sounds like it's best to find out what this relates to sooner rather than later.

sourcrates

Frequentlyhere said:

Would it not just be best to give ACI a call to a) ensure this is real and b) clarify what it relates to?  If it's a mistake or isn't meant for you then great, but if it isn't it still sounds like it's best to find out what this relates to sooner rather than later.

NO, NEVER, EVER CALL A DEBT COLLECTOR.

Although it sounds easy doesn't it, quick call, find out what the crack is........doesn't always work that way with debt collectors.

Once they have you on the phone, anything can be said, their only interest is collecting this debt, they will not have any interest in who may be liable, they have a name, they will want paying, they will keep asking for your payment details, may be so subtle you don`t realise, best advice is to always deal with debt issues in writing, that way you have a legal paper trail, and cannot leave yourself open to any manipulation.

incurabletrekkie

I too am being harassed by post and email by aci for a non existent debt. I disagree, this is clearly a scam company.