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Help/ advice appreciated.
Seven years ago, I moved abroad and took out a UK mail order account using a PO Box address in the other country. Due to horrendous personal circumstances (I had to leave very suddenly) I defaulted and moved back to the UK nearly three years ago.
I cut off all connections with my foreign life and left no forwarding address.
All the while I was abroad, I had rented my UK home and remained on the electoral roll there etc. I have since moved from there to another UK address. Thank goodness I had somewhere to go when I first got back.
Last week I received a letter from Lowells, citing my foreign PO Box address stating "we are attempting to contact the above named person (who previously lived at the above address) in relation to a personal matter. Based on information supplied by Experian, we consider that your address may be a possible address for our customer".
It can only be for the defaulted account.
I checked my Experian details, and also Equifax and Noddle and there is no reference to the foreign address on my files, nor the account I used there. I have a 'good' rating with them.
There doesn't seem to be any record of any recent searches by the likes of Lowells.
I've never, ever defaulted before, but I'm afraid that if I 'fess up to being the person they are pursuing, it will screw up my rating.
I'm aware that this is an immoral suggestion, but can I just deny being the person they want to contact?
I have since received an email from Lowells, citing a specific account and amount owed.
Think this is the same email address registered on my Experian record.
I am also receiving daily text messages from Friedrickson International, asking me to call them and citing a different reference number.
Do they have other ways of linking me? All payments prior to the default were made through a foreign bank account which is now closed.
How did they find me at this address? I have a relatively unusual name, was this just a lucky fishing expedition.
I'm not comfortable with doing this but I really don't want to dig up all the horrors of a few years ago for the sake of a couple of hundred quid, and pay the price with a black mark on my credit file.
I understand that the usual advice is to send a "Prove It" letter. However, my big concern about writing in, and requesting proof, is that I will then be providing my current address for them to send the 'proof' to and ultimately confirming that the information they have for me is correct. I really want to avoid this.
Or, is the fact that they have obtained my UK mobile number an indicator that they already know this?
Many thanks in advance for your help.
Seven years ago, I moved abroad and took out a UK mail order account using a PO Box address in the other country. Due to horrendous personal circumstances (I had to leave very suddenly) I defaulted and moved back to the UK nearly three years ago.
I cut off all connections with my foreign life and left no forwarding address.
All the while I was abroad, I had rented my UK home and remained on the electoral roll there etc. I have since moved from there to another UK address. Thank goodness I had somewhere to go when I first got back.
Last week I received a letter from Lowells, citing my foreign PO Box address stating "we are attempting to contact the above named person (who previously lived at the above address) in relation to a personal matter. Based on information supplied by Experian, we consider that your address may be a possible address for our customer".
It can only be for the defaulted account.
I checked my Experian details, and also Equifax and Noddle and there is no reference to the foreign address on my files, nor the account I used there. I have a 'good' rating with them.
There doesn't seem to be any record of any recent searches by the likes of Lowells.
I've never, ever defaulted before, but I'm afraid that if I 'fess up to being the person they are pursuing, it will screw up my rating.
I'm aware that this is an immoral suggestion, but can I just deny being the person they want to contact?
I have since received an email from Lowells, citing a specific account and amount owed.
Think this is the same email address registered on my Experian record.
I am also receiving daily text messages from Friedrickson International, asking me to call them and citing a different reference number.
Do they have other ways of linking me? All payments prior to the default were made through a foreign bank account which is now closed.
How did they find me at this address? I have a relatively unusual name, was this just a lucky fishing expedition.
I'm not comfortable with doing this but I really don't want to dig up all the horrors of a few years ago for the sake of a couple of hundred quid, and pay the price with a black mark on my credit file.
I understand that the usual advice is to send a "Prove It" letter. However, my big concern about writing in, and requesting proof, is that I will then be providing my current address for them to send the 'proof' to and ultimately confirming that the information they have for me is correct. I really want to avoid this.
Or, is the fact that they have obtained my UK mobile number an indicator that they already know this?
Many thanks in advance for your help.
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