Trace Debt Recovery / Forecourt Eye – Final Notice for Cloned Plates Incident (Need Advice)

EssexGeorgeB

Hi all,

I'm really hoping someone here can offer some guidance, as I’ve exhausted every avenue I can think of and I’m now facing a final notice from Trace Debt Recovery.

A while ago, I received a letter alleging that I had taken fuel without payment. I immediately appealed this, as it became clear that my vehicle’s number plates had been cloned. I reported this to the police, who issued me a crime reference number. The incident took place hundreds of miles from where I live, and I was attending a family funeral on the day in question — something I can evidence.

Despite all this, the matter was passed to Trace Debt Recovery, and I’ve since provided them with:

• The crime reference number

• An email from the police force stating they do not issue a report on headed paper but confirming the reference number is valid

• Images of my own vehicle (which is the same make and model, of course, but not the same car as in their image)

Trace say they have consulted Forecourt Eye and are refusing to accept any of the above. They’ve told me that without a crime report on headed police paper, they are unable to close the debt — even though the police have made it clear that no such document will be issued, and that the reference number should suffice.

I’ve since submitted a Subject Access Request (SAR) to the police force in the hopes of getting anything further I can use, but in the meantime, I’m stuck. I’ve tried calling and emailing Trace, but they are completely unwilling to engage or acknowledge the evidence I’ve already provided. I’m deeply concerned that this could now lead to a County Court Judgment (CCJ), which would be catastrophic for me professionally.

Has anyone dealt with a similar situation or know what I can do next? Can they really ignore a valid crime reference number like this? Is there any way to escalate this or protect myself from further action?

Any advice would be massively appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Ref44

Having seen a Forecourt Eye letter at Citizens Advice, it appears that they are seeking to invoke keeper liability. Have you asked them to explain on what legal basis they are doing so? POFA won't apply as it's not parking, They also threaten to "blacklist the vehicle; what provision do they make to update their records if a vehicle is sold. A question for Trading Standards possibly, the DVLA and the ICO.

ChirpyChicken

Ignore trace .

Castle

Have you asked for a copy of the Garage's CCTV for the time and date of the "theft".

Coupon-mad

Ref44 said:

Having seen a Forecourt Eye letter at Citizens Advice, it appears that they are seeking to invoke keeper liability. Have you asked them to explain on what legal basis they are doing so? POFA won't apply as it's not parking, They also threaten to "blacklist the vehicle; what provision do they make to update their records if a vehicle is sold. A question for Trading Standards possibly, the DVLA and the ICO.

And ... have you seen the Forecourt Eye signs?!

Loosely stuck on a pillar seven feet up.

HALF the size of an A4 sheet of paper!


That's placed next to an A4 sheet.

And the £100 doesn't appear on most of these signs. Spotted it in that image? I don't think it's even there. No contract.

The person who picked that one up off the pavement outside a garage forecourt last week told me it doesn't even stay stuck on their fridge, let alone to a wall or pillar!

Here's the back; 


They use poor glue no better than a post-it note, yet these are *supposedly* designed to withstand conditions in polluted and unsheltered outdoor sites. Looks like someone's created these in their back bedroom.

Yes, some of them do have £100 in 'big' but are so ripped & weather-beaten and the other text so tiny that the terms can't be read. I saw this one on a trip out & about:


They are as much of a joke as Trace Debt Recovery. You're quite right that they can't invoke keeper liability either.

It's like a house of cards. It'll blow over if you as much as sneeze at it! This is best ignored under the circumstances. Certainly the OP should ignore Trace Debt Recovery.

Nobody engages with them. I hope at your CAB you don't take the party line and tell people to talk to the DRAs about these or about PPC scam invoices?

Very interested to see if Moorside Legal try a court claim.

There's NO CCJ DANGER, @EssexGeorgeB as long as you don't move house without telling Trace & Forecourt Eye, and come here if you get a claim.

Do not ignore that! But no paying.

What fun if this goes to Moorside and they use boilerplate POC about the POFA. It would be a classic case for Contestor Legal's 'no win no fee' strike out service.

Coupon-mad

Can we see the ForecourtEye letter please?

And the Trace letter?

This thread could be a good resource for others in a similar predicament.

NB:
FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, I AM NOT FOR ONE MINUTE SUGGESTING ANYONE SHOULD DRIVE OFF WITHOUT PAYING FOR PETROL. THIS OP HAS NOT DONE THAT.

EssexGeorgeB

Hi All,

Attached is the latest letter and text I've received from them...

troublemaker22

@EssexGeorgeB , There's a criminal out there using your vehicle number (VRM) to commit crimes.  This easy-to-beat nonsense from Trace et al could be the least of your worries.  The criminal's car could be caught speeding or implicated in more serious crimes which could find their way to your door.  The VRM should certainly be blacklisted (as suggested in an earlier post) and, if you haven't already done so, you should send the evidence to DVLA and request a new VRM for your car. 

EssexGeorgeB

troublemaker22 said:

@EssexGeorgeB , There's a criminal out there using your vehicle number (VRM) to commit crimes.  This easy-to-beat nonsense from Trace et al could be the least of your worries.  The criminal's car could be caught speeding or implicated in more serious crimes which could find their way to your door.  The VRM should certainly be blacklisted (as suggested in an earlier post) and, if you haven't already done so, you should send the evidence to DVLA and request a new VRM for your car. 

Hiya, yes that bits been all done (when I first received this notice and therefore became aware of the cloning)

Ref44

@Coupon-mad
I was subscribing to MSE parking Forum before I started volunteering with CAB. Had a couple of cases when I've had to explain keeper liability to a supervisor! 

Coupon-mad

Ref44 said:

@Coupon-mad
I was subscribing to MSE parking Forum before I started volunteering with CAB. Had a couple of cases when I've had to explain keeper liability to a supervisor! 

So happy to hear you volunteer at the CAB and are putting right your team about parking scams and keeper liability.

Shame that the national advice is so utterly appalling as to lose lots of people their money.

The worst bits are the rubbish about court claim risk, where they give no info whatsoever about how simple it is to defend a disputed claim and instead, they say the victim should pay under protest then sue for it back - even though CAB isn't supposed to give legal advice. That's as duff 'legal' advice as anyone down the pub might give when drunk!

and

the setting aside a CCJ page that doesn't even tell people that they have a mandatory right to a set aside if the claim was not served at their address. It just weakly says that you may be able to 'oppose' the CCJ 'if you don't owe the money'. No. How about if you never got the claim form, eh, CAB?