What Sort Of Scam Is This?

[ProDave]

We have a house that we have been renting out for 10 years.  It's now vacant (since the start of the month) being decorated ready for sale.

Today a letter arrived by post

Addressed to

Street name,

Town name

Postcode.

Note no house number.

It's purporting to be a "utility investigation"

It goes on to mention a different address.

It's asking for me to send:

your name

Name of previous occupier

forwarding address of previous occupier

Landlords name address and telephone number.

I know for a fact the tenant did not move either from or to the other address mentioned.

It sounds to me like they are just phishing for personal details.

My instinct is to bin it unanswered.

The company sending it is LCS Credit Management investigations in Leeds

They seem to have three websites LCSO.co.uk, LCSDR.com and firstnow.co.uk

What puzzles me is did the postman deliver one to every house in the street (over 200 of them) or just pick one at random as it was addressed without a house number?

 

[Andy™]

just bin in

 

[Sharpend]

Knock on your neighbours door?

 

[kerching]

Knock on your neighbours door?

POST it through your neighbours door....job done

 

[Blue Duck]

Website looks poop

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2983648

Good ol Brutish Gash

 

[ProDave]

Thanks Ducky.

that forum is interesting reading.

I certainly won't respond.

The only utility at the property is electricity. No gas, and oil fired heating.  SSE have not notified me of any outstanding debts.

I'll just wait and see and probably ignore everything from them.

It looks like the standard pattern is I will shortly get a follow up letter stating what the debt is. that will be interesting.

 

[Blue Duck]

I'm sure BG tried this on me years back saying I owed them money for Gas when I was on E7 which I hate and never turned on unless I was desperate.They then tried to say I still needed to pay the standing charge :slap

Water companies are trying it too.

 

[Andy™]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29599359

 

[binky]

reading ducks links, it makes you wonder if you could sue BG / LCS for harassment??

 

[ProDave]

So.

My tenant has vacated. The only people that know that are SSE, BT, Highland Council (council tax) and my letting agent.

Just which one of them has broken all the data protection laws and told this outfit about the change of tenant?

The odd thing is they seem to know about a change of occupant, but don't know names.

all very fishy indeed.

But the consensus is just ignore it.  After all if there was a genuine debt, I would have received a bill. It wouldn't have been passed to any debt collection outfit without first issuing a normal bill and then waiting for it to be paid.

 

[Blue Duck]

So.

My tenant has vacated. The only people that know that are SSE, BT, Highland Council (council tax) and my letting agent.

Just which one of them has broken all the data protection laws and told this outfit about the change of tenant?

The odd thing is they seem to know about a change of occupant, but don't know names.

all very fishy indeed.

But the consensus is just ignore it. After all if there was a genuine debt, I would have received a bill. It wouldn't have been passed to any debt collection outfit without first issuing a normal bill and then waiting for it to be paid.

In the drawing room with a lead pipe.

Maybe also electoral register?

 

[NozSpark]

But do SSE know that you are now responsible for their bills now?

 

[binky]

that is the most interesting point PD - the lack of names. The letters are clearly Phishing for someone to hassle meaning thay haven't got a clue as to who is in the property, but they must know who's name was on the bill at the time. So demanding money from Mr X is more akin to a mugging and probably about as legal.

If they bothered to be polite and asked nicely, you might be more inclined to help them trace the debtor

 

[Blue Duck]

that is the most interesting point PD - the lack of names. The letters are clearly Phishing for someone to hassle meaning thay haven't got a clue as to who is in the property, but they must know who's name was on the bill at the time. So demanding money from Mr X is more akin to a mugging and probably about as legal.

If they bothered to be polite and asked nicely, you might be more inclined to help them trace the debtor

Unless the tenant was a nightmare I would not help them No matter how polite they were! Screw them, Its not like they don't make enough money.

 

[Sharpend]

But remember duck, they will recoup the money somehow, likely to be through increasing our bills as they never seem to harm their profits!!

 

[Blue Duck]

So instead they pass on their unrecoverable debts to a dodgy company who will no doubt add 300% on top for administration :C

The debt probably started at about £12 for leaving halfway through a billing period.

 

[binky]

same as all insurances - those that don't pay and cause accidents / claims are paid for by those who pay for insurance as required, ergo the honest people are over paying to cover the winkers

In my own little world I've always found asking nicely tends to generate better results than any other technique. After asking nicely resorting to other tactics is appropiate whre as these debt companies are going in with 2 size 10 boots and a flying brick from day 1