As promised, a belated update. I heard from the Financial Ombudsman Service today and received £200 for my trouble. NatWest did offer to open a full current account for me, but I decided against it, given the circumstances!

Debt purchasers, in the main, rely on people not knowing their rights. They will also use unscrupulous methods, such as writing to a group of individuals with a similar name to the alleged debtor, or even addressing letters to the "Occupier." Hopefully, as more people use sites such as CAG, such intimidatory tactics will have a reduced effect.

CAGgers may interested in the latest approach taken by CFO payday loans. The post below shows that they are: Offering to reduce the amount owed to the original amount borrowed. A cynic would suggest that they will then sell the remainder to a third party. Offering a further advance of up to £200, which is, surely, contrary to OFT guidelines, by encouraging an alleged debtor to borrow more. The objective is, of course, to obtain the person's debit card details and empty his/her bank account. BE WARY. Get back on track with CFO Resolve… Apply for CFO Resolve and get a weight off your mind and up to £200 in your account today! Call our friendly Resolve team on 0208XXXXXXX Dear Mug, In an effort to get your loan out of default with CFO Lending we would like to offer you our CFO Resolve product. By taking advantage of this offer we will: 1) Remove all fines and interest currently on your account. We take your current outstanding balance, including all late interest charges £XXXX and reduce it to the original £XXXX that you initially borrowed! 2) Offer you more money. We have an available £50.00 that we can transfer to your account today! 3) Set your due date for you next payday. We will set the repayment date for your next payday where you can clear the new balance in full or defer if you choose too. 4) Get your account out of default with CRA’s We will advise the Credit Reference Agencies that we work with, that you have resolved your account, which may make applying for credit in the future easier! The Resolve team has been specifically set up to help you get out of debt by reducing your balance. By completing a resolve loan you will also be eligible for further finance product (sic) from CFO Lending in the future.

OP. Please note that only a Court may order you to provide any form of income and expenditure breakdown. Do not pay these leeches anything at all. Google the return address of an letter received, prior to opening the envelope, and if it is sent by a DCA or payday loan shark, simply write "Return to Sender" and place it in the nearest post box (no stamp required). Such organisations are unworthy of your attention. In the unlikely event of your being taken to Court, there are many useful posts upon CAG which you may find extremely helpful.

Further to previous postings, Bellshill (Strathclyde Business Park), appears to be used by a number of debt collection companies. If receiving a dubious letter, simply Google the return address and if it appears to be that of a DCA, simply write "Return to Sender" on the envelope and place it in the nearest postbox (no stamp required). Such maggots are unworthy of any further attention. An excellent post on YouTube, which is very supportive of the CAG, may be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqy8GndzJbk

DCAs have no more power than your neighbour's cat to threaten you. Always report them to the Office of Fair Trading and do not pay them a penny. As for Wronga and other such loan sharks, their very existence is an affront to natural justice. In the highly unlikely event of such a company issuing legal proceedings, it would be very interesting to see what a district judge makes of their exorbitant, some would say, exploitative, interest rates.

I also read that Wronga are seeking to assign (i.e. sell) their outstanding debts to a DCA. If this is the case, and CAGgers receive letters from such DCAs, please search the forums accordingly to realise that DCAs have no power whatsoever.

Please note that CapQuest seem to be using a different return address on the reverse of their envelopes. This is CDR, PO Box 550, Manchester M5 0EE. It is worth looking out for this, in case you wish to return a letter to sender without opening.it.

Could you please post details of the claim, omitting the reference number, your name and address and any other identifying details.

Ricky, I recommend that you write to the original creditor, send the letter via Recorded Delivery and type your signature, don't sign it. Templates are available in the letters library. You should state that you are happy to settle the account (insert the amount that you are happy to pay). Also mention that you are not prepared to deal with the DCA. State that, due to your circumstances, you are able to afford only a monthly payment of (insert amount). Do not send any payment at this stage. Well done for recording the conversation where you informed them of the OFT guidelines, however, in future, NEVER SPEAK TO A CREDITOR OR DCA BY TELEPHONE, as they will twist everything you say and simply deny anything they wish. Let me know how this goes on. I am happy to help with the wording of the letter if required. Kind regards,

http://www.independent.co.uk/money/loans-credit/victory-for-campaigners-as-ripoff-lenders-face-instant-closure-8223242.html One hope that the Office of Fair Trading will show a robust approach to the illegal business practices shown by certain payday lenders. I am sure that many CAGgers will have a great deal of information to send to the OFT in Spring.

Thanks DonkeyB.

MKPD (Milton Keynes Debt Purchase) and MKRR (Milton Keynes Rapid Recoveries) are part of Compello Operations Limited. Their registered offfice is at: Fleming House, Seebeck Place, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes, MK5 8FR. Company Reg No: 04746414 CCL No: 632091 The blurb on their website http://mkdp.co.uk/ is priceless. "We aim to show our clients that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter what, and by working with us to tackle it face on they will be able resolve the situation and get back to enjoying the more important things in life."

Hi DonkeyB It would seem that there has been a change of tactics. Rock N Roll posted on this forum in January 2008 at Barclaycard/Mercers insider info - probably valid for other DCAs The gist of what he/she said is that Barclaycard rarely assign debts or commence legal proceedings. I wonder whether they are attempting to move bad debts off their books by the end of the financial year in April. MKDP/MKRR seem, as you say, highly dubious. Would be very interesting to find out what other CAGgers find out about this outfit.

Thanks again.

Thanks Stigman. Have only received a letter from Barclaycard saying that they have assigned the debt. No contact from MKRR as yet. Interestingly, I never received a DN from Barclaycard, only a few letters from Mercers to which I did not reply. I would never contact any DCA by telephone and they don't have my number:-)

:-)Hi everyone, I received a letter today (13.01.12), dated 04.01.12 stating that on a date in December 2011, Barclaycard had assigned and transferred an outstanding balance of around £4,000 to MKDP LLP, who had, in turn, appointed MKRR as their "servicing agent." This seems to be a fairly new tactic and MKDP has not appeared on these forums a great deal. Please could you let me know:- Are there timescales re assignment letters, if so, are Barclaycard within these timescales? Many thanks,

John, Good news - this is a fairly standard threatening letter. CapQuest give you a designated name to make you believe that one person is concentrating on your account. Another name you may hear is David Horn - he is another so-called Account Manager. You will also receive a letter from the managing director, again stating that he is making you a one-off settlement offer. As mentioned, have a look in the letters library for an appropriate letter to send removing the implied rights of access of doorstep collectors. As you may have noticed, DCA letters like to use the words "may, might, possibly" when discussing litigation or doorstep agents. Have a look at the following link http://www.getoutofdebtfree.org/Debt-Collectors-Letters-Expect which gives several examples of computer-generated letters sent by DCAs. Hope this helps.

Hello discodaddy1. I had a very similar experience over the last four weeks. Refused for current account. Applied for Step account and received a letter stating that my application was successful. Later, I received internet banking login details, a card reader, but when I telephoned to inquire when the debit card would arrive, I was told that the account had been passed to their internal collections department, Triton Credit, in Telford. When I spoke to Triton, I have to say the members of staff were helpful, but they informed me that my account was "moving towards closure" as six years ago, someone with a similar name to mine had allegedly committed fraud with a cheque guarantee card. Needless to say, I have no knowledge of this and the employee with whom I spoke apologised as this may affect my ability to open accounts with other banks! I haven't received the "account closed" letter as yet but am expecting it. I have contacted a national newspaper's money advice column and shall keep you posted.

Question: You mention that that DCAs called on you. Does this mean that people came to your door? If so, you are under no obligation to speak with them. There is a template in the letters library which you should send to the DCA stating that you do not wish to have doorstep callers. Post recorded delivery and type your signature, do not sign. It is a good idea to have a few of these letters printed and kept near your door so that you can give them (or post them through the letterbox) in the event of further visits. If this was a telephone call made at 6.00 am, this may constitute harassment. Again, there is a template in the letters library relating to this subject. Good luck and wishing you all the best.

You're welcome. Let me know how you get on. I know this has been mentioned on CAG many times, but do not speak to DCAs, or their representatives by telephone under any circumstances. If the Court deadline is looming, state that you will accept an e-mail from the DCA.

Just one more thing, as Lieutenant Columbo once said! If you choose to accept Link's offer, you should not sign their document and produce one of your own. The wording is the same, however, where the section for signatures is, you should insert the following:- Signed by Claimant: ....................................... (Link Financial Limited) Name: ........................................ Position within Company................................... Then continue with your signature as stated. Do not sign this form yet. By seeking their signature first, you retain a degree of control. Send the letter via Royal Mail Special Delivery as it needs to be received asap You should then prepare a letter similar to the following:- Dear Sirs, Claimant: Defendant: In the (name of court) County Court Claim Reference No: I refer to your letter of (date) offering to set the above judgment aside. I am amenable to discussion of this matter, subject to the following:- Please find attached three copies of an amended document. All copies should be signed by an authorised officer of your company. You should then return the three copies to the Defendant and they will be distributed as follows:- 1. Forwarded to (name of court) County Court 2. Retained by Claimant 3. Retained by Defendant With reference to attendance at a hearing, please be advised that I shall attend if required and that a vigorous defence will be made. An order for costs incurred as laid down as appropriate for Litigant in Person shall also be sought. The signed documents should be delivered within seven days of receipt of this letter, which has been sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Yours faithfully Name Upon receipt of the signed copies, you should send a copy to the Court and to Link via recorded delivery. Retain your copy safely. I hope this is of help.

Hi again, Sian. Good that NatWest seem to be helpful and that you have cancelled the card. You should never give bank details to DCAs, especially not the long number on your card, as this could lead to the DCA setting up a continuous credit/debit card authority which, unlike a direct debit, cannot be cancelled without the authority of the person or organisation being paid. Have a read of other forums as it may be that this debt may be difficult for the DCA to enforce. Head any correspondence to DCAs with "I do not acknowledge any debt which you claim is owed to you or to any organisation which you claim to represent." There are several templates in the letters library which may be of use. Whilst writing, I don't know whether Sian is your real name, but don't give any identifying details anywhere on CAG. DCAs do check this site regularly.

One other suggestion. If any letters arrive addressed to your ex-tenant, simply write "Return to Sender - not at this address" on the envelope and post. No stamp required. Hopefully the utility companies will arrange for a DCA to trace him.

Hi Sian, Write to Red (recorded delivery and don't sign the letter) informing them that you require your bank details to be deleted from their system. Check whether a direct debit has been set up - if so, cancel it asap. For future reference, never deal with DCAs by telephone as they will deny anything they like and you have no proof unless you have recorded the call. There is a template in the letters library which you can send to DCAs informing them that you will only communicate in writing. Good luck.