Mystery very delivery...now getting bank account letters to - identity theft?

[SeraphsWing]

Hi,

To my surprise, I've received quite a high value item (around £500 value) delivered to my home, to my name and address, that I did not order.

 

There are no markings on the delivery box (plain brown cardboard) and there is no invoice in the parcel.  There is a packing slip, which denotes the good and how to return it (to a location that when I google just comes up as a "Returns Centre" without a clear retailer attached). 

 

It was delivered by royal mail and I tried to track the delivery to see its origins but it only says it was picked up and stopped at a national hub.

 

The only clue I can see, that I haven't followed up on yet, are the words SHOP DIRECT on the packing slip, which suggests it could originate from very.co.uk.

 

I have ordered from very.co.uk in the past, but it was a couple of years ago, in late 2020.

 

It's been a few days since and I've not heard from anyone.  I was hoping someone was going to tell me it was a delayed extravagant christmas gift but I'm realising that is very unlikely.

 

Are there specific actions I need to take so as not to be liable for anything, or can I keep and use the item or even sell it on?

 

Thanks for your help

[dx100uk]

you should be able to access your old account on their website portal

 

have you moved in recent times?

 

dx

 

[Ethel Street]

What is the returns centre address?

[SeraphsWing]

No I haven't moved within that period so they do still have my current address, which would mean it is conceivable they have made an error in their systems somewhere.  

 

The return address is Raven Mill D.C Oldham, OL9 8PW

 

Looking at it again, it does seem to back up that this is Very.

[Ethel Street]

Royal Mail Address Finder confirms that is the address of:

 

 

Shop Direct Returns

Raven Mill

Raven Avenue

Chadderton

OLDHAM

OL9 8PW

[SeraphsWing]

Alright.  I will send something to Very customer services to see what they can tell me about a delivery to my address and if it looks like it was made in error.  If it was, they can make arrangements to pick it up.  

[dx100uk]

no harm in checking by logging in to your old account on their website

you can see if its against your old one then.

 

dx

 

[Ethel Street]

Have you been able to access your Very account as dx suggested? 

 

If you can I suggest you do that first to check it isn't showing as an order you made.

[SeraphsWing]

I did log into my old account.  It clearly has that there are no orders against my user.  So it must be from someone else that has been sent to me.

[dx100uk]

but how did your name get on the label.

 

well its not on your account so as you say

cant be yours

wont be billed

very do you want it back?

if you do

send me a label.

 

i'll find it later but i believe there is a time limit that by default it's yours.

 

 

[slick132]

It's possible this is some form of fraud where someone will turn up saying they believe you've received a package in error and they need to collect it.

 

So be cautious if someone calls at your address - you could end up owing money for the item.

 

I'd send it back to the reurn address once you've spoken to someone and been supplied with a return label and/or instructions.

[SeraphsWing]

I called very.co.uk customer services. 

 

They seemed limited in what they could search for (even their own order numbers!) but said on the phone they couldn't see an order for me from what they looked for and that a side call to "the relevant department" said all they could do would be to send me a return notice.  But as they couldn't even confirm that it came from them or that it was a mistake on their part I've declined this.

 

I asked for an email I could send a notice to (along the lines of the 14 days to collect or its mine ilk) but they said they have no email address to contact.

 

So I'm sitting on this for now, but a little apprehensively.

[dx100uk]

you cant dictate any time limits upon it becoming yours.

where did you get that from?

 

dx

[Ethel Street]

By "return notice" did they mean a return address label?

 

If so why did you refuse it? 

 

 

[SeraphsWing]

For dx100uk's question, I was doing what I thought you were alluding to in your last comment around asking if they want it back then after a certain time its yours.  I was thinking in the direction suggested by citizens advice on a letter template to send, which is at 

Letter to say you received goods or services you didn't ask for

WWW.CITIZENSADVICE.ORG.UK

---

Letter to trader about unsolicited goods or services.

However, I was hoping to establish with certainty that the order was indeed from very.co.uk and that they believe it was delivered to me in error as an additional ask before that.  Essentially, my understanding of unsolicited goods is that I don't need to attempt to contact them or return it and they can't ask for payment, though it all gets unclear about that not applying at all if it was "a mistake".  Anyway, an absence of anywhere to notify means I couldn't send such a notice even if I wanted to.

 

For Ethel's query, it's a fair question. The call was confusing actually. Earlier discussed evidence suggests it was likely sent from very.co.uk but on my call to them they essentially told me they couldn't find any record of something being sent to me but if it's a very.co.uk order (which they couldn't confirm) they could send me a label to return it.  Given they couldn't confirm anything about it being an order from them, it doesn't seem clear cut enough and they did not say they wanted me to return it at any point.  There's also still an outside chance (admittedly highly unlikely now) that it wasn't a mistake on their part and someone did intended me to receive this legitimately and I just send it away to a big company then that would leave me in a less than ideal position too.

 

I'll be honest that I would, ideally, like to be able to keep the goods, morally questionable as that may be.  But I wanted the retailer to be aware and to have an opportunity to request it back first. 

[Manxman in exile]

What exactly is this high value (c £500) item?

 

Is it something that somebody known to you could conceivably have sent to you as a surprise present (although that would be a remarkably stupid and high risk thing to do without informing you beforehand) or is it something that could have no conceivable connection to you whatsoever?

 

It's highly unlikely that very or anybody else has sent you what are truly unsolicited goods.

 

If the goods are really worth around £500 and you know you haven't ordered them I think there is quite an onus on you to get to the bottom of what has happened.  If they weren't intended for you presumably they belong to somebody else, regardless of how they ended up with you.

 

(If you find out somebody has sent you a surprise gift, I'd give them a right rollocking... )

[SeraphsWing]

Its a ps5. I and my friends and family are known to enjiy video games and friends of ours have ps5s whilst we dont, but my likely suspects are saying it wasnt them. Its not inconceivable, but it does feel too extravagant. You can see the temptation element though perhaps.

 

I guess i can call very.co.uk again and see if someone more helpful picks up another day.

 

I think I will raise it as a complaint with very. Who might take more interest that way. As it seems I have started to get letters of bank accounts opened in my name also that I didnt do. So me impersonators are up to no good somewhere.

[dx100uk]

Yep. Though it was 

 

Sound like identity fraud .

 

Have you moved in recent times?

 

Dx

[Ethel Street]

Bank accounts opened in your name that you didn't open is suggesting something much more serious is going on than just an unsolicited parcel.

 

You may be the victim of identity fraud. This is a much bigger and more serious issue for you than one parcel from Very.

 

It would be helpful if you can upload copies of the letters you have received from the banks. Read our upload guide. Delete your name address and any information that could identify you such as account numbers.

[slick132]

You need to keep a careful eye on your credit file.

 

Looks like the delivery was no simple mistake and you need to watch this all carefully.

[dx100uk]

when was the last time you moved?

 

dx

 

[SeraphsWing]

Apologies that I ghosted on this one.  It's been playing out slowly.

 

To give a brief update and bring closure to this:

• I closed out a current account I didn't open as identity fraud after receiving a letter about the account having been opened.
• I closed out an Argos store card I didn't open as identity fraud after receiving a letter about that also.
• I downloaded the Credit Karma app and found a Shop Direct Finance Company Ltd account on there.  
  • I raised a dispute with TransUnion about the account.  The dispute was closed as unsuccessful.
  • I found a number to call to an Identity Fraud team at Very who, with the help of some details as taken from my credit report for the account, were able to find it.  It was actually a Littlewoods account, and the order for a PlayStation was found on it charged as credit on that account still registered in my name.
  • They have closed the account, removed all debts and charges and arranged for courier pick up of the PS5, which I still had kept to the side unopened.

I am thankful that the matter can be closed, and I will be keeping a watchful eye on my credit report from now on, though there are also at least 3 CIFAS markers for being a victim of identity fraud on there, which hopefully should give some pause for new credit applications being made.

 

The fact that the PS5 was sent to me is wryly amusing, as it feels like that was a bit of an error on the part of the fraudsters who (as far as I know) have benefitted nought on this occassion.  I am a little sad not to have been able to keep the PS5 at the end of this, but it was never really mine and not something I had truly desired.  I am content for it to go with a little peace-of-mind regained at the end of it.

[slick132]

Hi SW and thanks for the update.

 

Let us know if anything further happens re bank accounts, credit applications or ID fraud.

[dx100uk]

Yes the fraudster forget to put on a different delivery address.

 

Dx