Opos Debt company text me - help

Gords007

Advice please. 

Opos debt collections have text me out of the blue saying contact them... no more info. looked into it and they are a debt collection company.

In the past I have had a couple of things that I fell behind on etc. But it's been over 6 years and nothing on my credit file at all or had any contact in over 6 years or made any payments.. 

They will have my old address as I moved 6 years ago.

Are they chasing an old debt. What should I do they want all my personal info if I contact them by phone. 

But my biggest worry is, I am in the middle of buying a house. I read they can do a hard credit search and this will cause my house to fall through as the lender when they do final checks will see this and pull offer. 

So I’m worried to Death they will hard credit check my file. So you think they will do this? 

I have sent an email standard letter template with no details except reference number Asking for proof of the any debts and not acknowledging any debts and reminding them that most debts over 6 years are statue barred. 

What do you recommend I do as worried sick if the credit search me. 

Thanks in advance  

sourcrates

Usual advice is to ignore texts, emails etc, asking for money.

These things are sent at random, in the hope of a hit, they will have bought an old debt which is somehow connected to your mobile number, and their computer has sent you a message in the hope that you, or someone, will respond, and you did.

Debt collection policy is clear, you only need respond to a letter, not a random text, anyone could now have that number.

I can tell you now almost word for word what their response will be:

Hello Gords007, please confirm your name, address, and date of birth for data protection reasons.

So if you want to find out what its about, you have to part with that info.

A much better approach is to wait until they write to you, if they ever do, then send the prove-it letter to them.

A letter is deemed to have come from the individual concerned, so much simpler, and you give nothing away.

HenryMSingh85

You've done the right thing by not acknowledging the debt and requesting proof first. Since the debt is over six years old with no payments or contact, it's likely statute-barred meaning they cannot legally enforce it in course under the Limitation Act 1980 (unless there's a CCJ already in place from before the six year period). Here are some things to consider:

1) No debt collection agency can do a hard search without your permission. If they did a hard search without your permission, you could file a complaint with the ICO and the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). You can check your credit report (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion, ClearScore, or Credit Karma) to see if they searched your file. If they do a hard search without your permission, challenge it immediately
2) If the debt is over six years old and a) you haven't paid anything towards it in six years, b) you haven't acknowledged the debt in writing or c) There's no CCJ issued against it then it is legally unenforceable 
3) If they harass you with calls, letters, or texts - a) keep everything in writing (avoid phone calls) b) If they can't provide proof or the debt is statute-barred, tell them to stop processing your data under GDPR and if they persist, complain to the FCA and Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

fatbelly

Gords007 said:

Advice please. 

Opos debt collections have text me out of the blue saying contact them... no more info. looked into it and they are a debt collection company.

In the past I have had a couple of things that I fell behind on etc. But it's been over 6 years and nothing on my credit file at all or had any contact in over 6 years or made any payments.. 

They will have my old address as I moved 6 years ago.

Are they chasing an old debt. What should I do they want all my personal info if I contact them by phone. 

But my biggest worry is, I am in the middle of buying a house. I read they can do a hard credit search and this will cause my house to fall through as the lender when they do final checks will see this and pull offer. 

So I’m worried to Death they will hard credit check my file. So you think they will do this? 

I have sent an email standard letter template with no details except reference number Asking for proof of the any debts and not acknowledging any debts and reminding them that most debts over 6 years are statue barred. 

What do you recommend I do as worried sick if the credit search me. 

Thanks in advance  

I recommend you ignore them. It's probably not even yours. They are acting on a lot of highly dodgy Capquest debts atm.

If you get a letter, let us know.

Until then keep schtum