LCS Scottish Power debt letter

rofae7

Hi 👋

I have been looking for advice but haven't found a relatable discussion so far - so here I am!

I got a letter from LCS today about a £1700 debt between 2018 and 2021 from Scottish Power that LCS have recently purchased. The letter was address to me at my current address and quoted my old landlords address (without giving my information, let's say the landlords address was 1 Blank Street, I lived at another property that they owned at 1A Blank Street). I called LCS to gain some clarity and they said there is some confusion over whether it is the debt of 1 Blank Street or 1A Blank Street, which already made matters more confusing as the letter states that it is my debt even with the wrong address. Secondly, I never used Scottish Power and explained that I have bank statements to say I was paying nPower whilst I lived in 1A up until January 2020, and have current statements at my new address starting from October 2020 (I lived with family in between addresses). 

The man that I spoke to from LCS said that I should email my bank statements so they can liase with Scottish Power and build evidence that the debt is not mine as they are still investigating, even more confusing as again, the letter from LCS states that it is my debt, not that they are investigating. He also asked for bills from when I lived at the old address so they can check the serial numbers to see whether the debt is for 1 Blank Street or 1A Blank Street, but nPower switch to E.On Next so I am not sure how to get these.

I am not sure what to do next and it's really unsettling as I have always been up to date with all payments and have never been in debt before. Any advice please?

Thanks

Grumpelstiltskin

OK 1  Never speak to these people on the phone, all they will try and do is get money out of you whether it is your debt or not.

2 Send them this letter  Letter when you know nothing about about the debt - AKA "Prove it" letter — MoneySavingExpert Forum

It's up to them to prove the debt is yours.

rofae7

Grumpelstiltskin said:

OK 1  Never speak to these people on the phone, all they will try and do is get money out of you whether it is your debt or not.

2 Send them this letter  Letter when you know nothing about about the debt - AKA "Prove it" letter — MoneySavingExpert Forum

It's up to them to prove the debt is yours.

Thank you for your reply. As I've never had any kind of debt before seeing that amount and reading that if I don't contact them within 14 days other charges may be added to my account I just panicked and called. He didn't ask for payment but did say I had to send proof (bank statements and bills from nPower) via email ASAP.

Also, "Prove it" letter - Can I send this via email or is it best to post? And I'm assuming I should send a photocopy of the original letter as stated in the "Prove it" letter? 

Apologies if any of this seems obvious, this is my first experience like this and the worry is taking any "clear thinking" space!

Thanks again

sourcrates

What they have sent you is typical "pay us quick" letter, they are not bothered about whose debt it actually is, which is why you should always challenge a debt collector when they ask you for money.

LCS are debt purchasers, and from previous experience, dealing with them is like dealing with the village idiot, never very productive.

Send a proper letter, edit it to your circumstances, include a copy of a bill from Npower if you want, but regardless of what the call handler said, its up to them to prove you are liable, not for you to prove you are not.

Another reason why you should only respond in writing to debt collectors.

It`s likely a mis-trace, more common than they will admit, but expect them to continue collection activity.

These things usually have to be dealt with via the complaints route where LCS are concerned.

fatbelly

Relatable discussion here

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2983648/warning-and-advice-about-lcs-utility-investigation-civil-enforcement-debt-recoveries

This shower have been at it for over a decade. Really surprised they still exist