PRA Group pursuing mystery debt

ambriel

I've just received a letter, claiming to be from Bank of Scotland, telling me that they have sold my credit card account to PRA Group. Now, I do have a Bank of Scotland credit card but I haven't used it for years and it should have a zero balance.

The letter says I have an outstanding debt of £23,057.65.

For a start, the credit limit on that credit card account was ever only three or four thousand pounds, and I haven't been using it so there should be no outstanding balance.

What should I do next? The letter provides no contact telephone number and I am reluctant to give any information to this PRA Group.

Brie

Have you checked your credit record to see if there's anything on there?

Do you have a very common name which might mean mistaken identity?

There must be a return address on the letter. You could write to them sending a prove it letter - there's a template on the debtfree wannabe board.

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daveyjp

You need to get proof of the debt.

One scenario. Card not used for years. Balance not checked balance for years. A forgotten recurring payment is made, no payment is made, fees rack up.

ambriel

Update: I've finally been able to speak with someone at BoS and it looks like I've been the victim of identity fraud.

Statements and new cards have been sent to an address I've never lived at.

Brie

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058412#Comment_82058412

Will they be writing the whole thing off?

ambriel

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058425#Comment_82058425

I hope so. It's complicated because they've sold the debt to PRA so I need to speak to them, too.

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058431#Comment_82058431

How many years of no use? 2, 5 or more?

The debt would of taken time to get to a debt collector, months even so how did you get this letter saying they are transferring this account to PRA and all the other letters they sent never got to your letter box(if you have one) ?

As mentioned check all credit reference agencies asap and also how many years have been living at your address and have you had any other debt letts turn up?

ambriel

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058446#Comment_82058446

5+ years of inactivity. I'd forgotten all about it.

It seems the person involved managed to change the correspondence address and ordered new cards. All the statements and letters from the bank then went there instead of to me. They also substantially increased the credit limit.

I went in to the bank a few days ago to query an odd text message I'd received and they updated my address then. They told me to ignore the text!

Boohoo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058498#Comment_82058498

So the credit card is BOS and do you have just a credit card with them an a bank account?

Did you have anybody living with you in the past 5+ years that could of changed this address to the new one?

Have you checked your credit files?

I assume this credit account does not have online account access as it would of sent you email alerts.

Too late now but if you checked your credit files every few months or more over the years this would of been flagged sooner.

Have you been told to get a police crime number or report this fraud to the police?

ambriel

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82058550#Comment_82058550

Yes, I only had a credit card account with them. I don't think I ever had internet access - no need for it.

What puzzles me is that they had my mobile number on file and never bothered to call it.

ManyWays

It's complicated because they've sold the debt to PRA so I need to speak to them, too.
this is really BoS's job to sort out; have BoS told you in writing that it's identity theft?