Weird phone calls

Welshlassie

Firstly let me lay out some background info, this maybe a bit long and confusing so please bare with me.

Just over 2 years ago we bought a second house and rented out our original one. When we moved we took our phone number with us. Our rented house now has tenants that have been there 2 years. They arranged for a new phone number to be allocated to the house as obviously as we had taken ours with us there wasn't one there.

Over the past week or so we have had 2 phone calls asking for the male tenant at our house. The first one was an answer machine message. My DH called them back, they asked if he was the tenant to which my DH answered no. DH was then asked if he new the tenant, which we said yes. DH asked them who they were, but they refused to give this information saying it could only be given to the tenant. DH then hung up.

We spoke to our tenants who said they didn't know who it was and they didn't have any debts that they could be chasing for.

Yesterday he had another call asking for the tenant, DH answered but refused to say if he was the tenant they were asking for until they told him who they were. They refused and after several minutes back and forth they hung up.

Now we're very confused as our tenants do not have our landline number only mobiles. Their address has not been connected with our landline number for over 2 years, how on earth has they company managed to get our tenants name and our number connected.

We did question the possibility of it being coincidence, but the tenant has an unusal name so its unlikely.

Does anyone have any ideas how we can find out who this company is and stop them calling us? Am also a bit concerned that if one company has managed to get our number, how many other companies can?

boredofbeingathome

Try this link from another poster on thread about text messages.
Very useful

http://whocallsme.com/Phone-Number.aspx/0012317322648

I have used it and it throws up some surprising info.

MrsTinks

Finding your number isn't that difficult if you have little or no morals...
Sometimes doign a google search can bring up data you forgot was out in the ether... maybe a search on the address brought up something - you'd be amazed the underhand ways DCAs will try to get details for people they are chasing.
Did you do a 1471 when the calls came through?
As for your tenant saying they don't knwo of any debts... You'd be amazed what people "forget" and more to the point the DCA COULD have the wrong Mr Anyone - certainly NOT the first time that has happened

Welshlassie

Thanks guys, have found out that they are Iqor Recovery Services, former Legal and Trade. Looks like either our tenants haven't told us the whole truth or they are being chased for something incorrectly.

I'm still curious as to how they got our number as I have searched the web and not found any connections between us and them or our number and our old address.

MrsTinks

They will also use old digital versions of the phone books (they used to be available to buy for members of the public don't know if you still can) so like yell.com but for personal addresses. All they'd have to do is search the address... Just an example of how it can be done - not saying it IS the way they did it
That would explain how they got to you because obviously they don't know that you took the number with you - most people don't I guess
Yes your tenant might have been telling porkies, or could have plain forgot about a debt, not know about it to start with OR the DCA could be phoning everyone they can track with that last name - some DCAs have been known to contact neighbours and even peoples workplaces which is all VERY naughty! But it doesn't stop them sadly...
So until proven otherwise I'd be tempted to believe your tenant