debt company asking for payment on a barclay card i dont have!

tony4321

I received a letter today from a debt collection company saying my barclaycard account number*****was sold to them on the 14th December 07. They inform me that they have instructed a certain debt collection company to recover the outstanding debt of £959.31. Thing is I don't have a barclaycard. I did 20 years ago but that was paid off. Has anyone else experienced this? Can anyone help, I really don't know how to deal with this It's really getting to me. Thank you (anyone?)

MissEyre

Hi, DFW might be a better place for this-they have all the template letters you will need, and I'm rubbish at links, sorry! Basically, you should only communicate with them in writing, send them a template letter asking them to provide you with a copy of the original credit agreement as you have no record of ever having held this card and you do not acknowledge the debt to them. It is up to them to prove it to you...which will be impossible, as it's not your card. Have seen rog2 (I think) post the letter you need-do give the DFW board a go! Sure you will get it sorted it out soon, but do everything in writing and send it all recorded, and make it clear that you are NOT acknowledging the debt!

MissEyre

Sorry Tony, just noticed that it's your first post-DFW is the Debt Free Wanabee board, they are genuises with all the paperwork you need!

Mastivision

Hi TONY

Yes. I have got the same problem with Natwest .

They asking me to pay credit card debts of £1000 pounds which i never had any card with them but the problem was here that ........i have got the same name which some body else got a credit card with them but his date of birth was different from me.

So i think they take your name etc from BT or CRFs but anyway i dont have any negative appearing on my file.

I suggest you to Check your credit file and check any mistake.

Cheers.

Dylanwing

OP - If the Company is Lowells, they are basically sharks who buy old debts for a pittance and don't actually care if they are hassling the right person, often they will fire out letters a bit randomly in the hope that they get a response. If you do a search on the Forum, you will find a template letter, where you can send a £1 Postal Order (Not a cheque - Don't give them your Bank details) and get a copy of the credit agreement under the Data Protection Act. Don't phone them, they are nasty, lying little shots.
If it is real debt collectors, they might be a bit more helpful, although I wouldn't rely on that.

tony4321

Thank you! To all who have replied. Really appreciate your support. Yes am new to the forum. Have checked out the DFW board-brilliant! Will need to use this. I did try to phone them (oops) but fortunately for me they were closed.

tony4321

Hi Dylanwing
Have just recovered the letter from the depths of avoidance (settee cushions) Yes indeed it is Lowells. When I do get a copy of the credit agreement (sorry to sound so dumb) but it may give me the agreement on my 20 year old barclaycard agreement as was then. Then what to do? Surely if there was a balance outstanding from this I certainly would have been contacted in the last 20 years from barclaycard, not from some opportunist little sharks that have crawled out of the woodwork?
Thanks again

MyUserNamesTaken

Statute barred debt, so don't worry. If you have any debt outstanding and it's over 6 years old, there's naff all they can do about it.

Dylanwing

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=611463&highlight=lowell

Most of the details are in this thread. Send the letter suggested and a £1 PO, if they phone, be firm, tell them that a letter is on the way requesting a copy of the loan agreement and end the call. Do not acknowledge the debt. If last contact was over 6 years ago, it is statute barred, so nothing they can do. Main thing to remember is not to trust them, do not get involved in any phone conversation, and I think I'm right in saying that you should not sign any letter sent to them. Likelihodd is that you will send them the letter and £1 and they will go away.

tony4321

Thanks to all for responses! I have done some further research and found that these **** bags are the lowest of the low. They operate under so many guises M******** are just one of many, but operating from the same washroom. I still find it disgusting that IF you owed a certain debt from 20 years ago why would you not know about it? Why would the bank in question have not contacted you in the last 20 years? Why would they sell your details for a pittance to some lowlife DCA? There must be a motive ie. some easy bucks for the banks in question to make without having to lift even a greedy little finger. I have forwarded my own case to Watchdog

KiKi

Hi Tony

As others have said, under NO circumstances must you acknowledge the debt.

However, although YOUR Barclaycard might have been 20 years ago, this may be a different card but they've gotten the wrong person. In which case, you need to tell them you are not the person they are looking for. They should produce an original credit agreement; if they can't, there's nothing they can do anyway. If they can, you'll be able to evidence that it's not you.

Hope you get it sorted.
KiKi