I'm being harrassed for someone else's debt

[DonnyO]

I have a very common name and over the last 3 years have received numerous letters from numerous debt collection agencies demanding that I pay the debts owed by someone who happens to have the same name as me but has NEVER lived at the address I do. How do I stop these debt collection agencies from contacting me? It's obvious they are just looking through phone directories or the electoral register and then when I send them a snotty letter they just passed my details onto another debt collection agency and the whole saga starts again. I've looked on the internet but cannot find anything that offers any help.

[teaboy2]

Re: I'm being harrassed for someone else's debt

send the latest one or next one a section 10 request under the data protection act 1998 - Its makes it clear to then they do not have your permission to process your data or to sell or pass it on, to do so would be a breach of the data protection act 1998 once you have sent the section 10 request.

Also make it clear to them you are not the MR ABC that they a looking for and merely share first and second name with them. Whilst at the same time asking for their complaints procedure and a detailed explanation of the methods they used that lead them to identifiy you as being the MR ABC that owes the debt, when he has never lived at your address, and when they can quickly if they did their searches properly find that you have lived at the current address for x amounts of years and at previous address (give them details of previous address too) for x amount of years before that and no doubt the person they are looking for gave completely different address to both, therefore proving you and him are not the same person. Also warn them any further contact demanding payment for this debt that is not yours from them or any other debt collection company in furture may result in legal action for harassment, damages for emotional distress, and for breach of data protection if they are found to have sold your data to other companies leading to such company contacting you when you have made a section 10 request withdrawing any permission they have to process your data which includes selling and passing on of your data to other 3rd party's.

[enquirer]

Re: I'm being harrassed for someone else's debt

As teaboy suggests, I would hit them hard. However, I wouldn't supply them with any personal information such as previous addresses and associated dates.