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Thief giving my address!!!

(31 Posts)
CariadAgain Wed 02-Oct-24 17:49:55

Just googled the term "address fraud" and a noticeable number of entries come up - off to check them out....

CariadAgain Wed 02-Oct-24 17:47:59

I've just checked out the Action Fraud page - and it's to do with cyber security and not letters through the post.

Think it probably doesn't apply to me then - though I do get several emails a week from a thief pretending they are to do with a firm (which may, or may not, be one I actually use). Also the odd phonecall from a thief - pretending to be Amazon or my bank security or the like and hence I answer my (landline) phone with a cautious "hello" and then don't say another word and wait for the person (or automatic message) at the other end to start up - so I can tell if it's a "real" phonecall or a would-be thief.

CariadAgain Wed 02-Oct-24 17:42:42

Marydoll

This is known as Address fraud.
Contact Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us

Thanks. I'd not been aware of them - I'll check that out.

It is indeed an area of Wales where Welsh housenames are preferred by some and I duly received a form from the Council back at the time asking me to reconsider etc and then "ask" if I was still of a mind to. My reply back was "I've already checked there is no nearby house with the same name and it's a perfectly polite normal housename - so I've already changed it/new name plaque already in place. I was notifying you for information - so you could change the necessary records".

M0nica Wed 02-Oct-24 14:55:11

If it's someone locsl, and it probably is, all it means is that she has walked along your street and decide to use your house name and number at random.

Perhaps whoever it is chose your house name and number because it is an English name in an area of Wales where Welsh house names are preferred.

From what I have read about this kind of fraud, addresses are chosen at random, not with malice aforethought.

Marydoll Wed 02-Oct-24 14:44:31

This is known as Address fraud.
Contact Action Fraud: www.actionfraud.police.uk/contact-us

CariadAgain Wed 02-Oct-24 14:34:28

I received a letter to a woman I've never heard of at my house a couple of weeks ago and the postman just queried whether I'd got someone staying with me and took the letter away again when I said I hadnt.

Another one has turned up to this same name here today and I opened it and it's a red letter from a debt collection firm saying that they're acting for Paypal re some money the thief owes them.

I've rung the debt collection firm and said I've never heard of the thief and then they suggested I contact Experian credit reference agency to "disassociate" myself from her and I've done that too.

Is there anything else that I should usefully do to protect myself from her? I live on my own and have been at my address for over 6 years and so that's clear. What is a bit of a matter of concern is she's used my current housename (ie as I changed the previous housename to the one I wanted after buying my house over 10 years ago) - and yet she's used my chosen name (rather than either of its 2 previous ones). So it's in my English housename, rather than the two Welsh previous housenames it had (ie it makes it look as if she's tagged onto my house since I got it).