consumer or privacy issue

Merch

I am uncertain if this belongs here but not sure where else, so

I keep receiving bills to my address but not in my name for very similarily named people (it was a number of mobile phone companies) but now one of them has started to send bills again. I should state I have never been a cusatomer of any of the companies.

I know I am not liable but I dont want my address used, out of courtesy i contacted the companies and suggested they may be subject to some form of fraud, ie I am the owner/occupier and no one of the stated names lives or has ever lived here. Plesase stop sending me bills, thank you etc etc

Well the bills didnt stop from 2 out of 3 companies so i got onto the data protection commisioner and comreg, they stopped for a long while.

Just checked the international code goes to where I guessed it would based on what I researched the name on the bill.

But, recently a bill from one of the companies turned up and again today, I have opened them all to see what they are.

There are some unusual numbers for sms sent/recieved ie 5 digit numbers starting with 577 or 578.

I am tired of this company sending me bills after I have repeatedly asked them to stop, comreg obviously didnt work for sorting it out.
The amounts overdue on the bills are high and I feel I should name the company involved to highlight their stupidity, how they cannot be going out of business if they are open to this kind of deception, I dont know.

What concerns me also is how they can open a bill at my address in this country without proof of residence?

How do I end this once and for all, I should highlight I am very careful about shredding documents but am concerned about any unpaid amounts having a connection with my address.

Help? opinions, advice?

Im thinking of taking this last bill to the gardai? will that do any good? or just be binned/waste of their time.
Im guessing the numbers may be of some use??? maybe who ever is doing this may be involved in something else?
Just cant understand how they could open accounts and with what details?? when I spoke to someone in one of the mobile companies they even told me the bank account associated with a previous bill had shut???? how did they even open that!

Del2005

Just keep sticking them back in the post marked " Not known at this address".

It's illegal to open mail not addressed to you.

Merch

It seems there is some fraud involved, the company must be idiots.
I told them to disbar anyone from opening an account with them at my address as i would never be a customer of theirs (thats 3 companies) mainly as I am happy with my current provider (that I wont name here) but also I'd be concerned how foolish they are when they have been informed of the issue that they allow it to continue??

foggy_lad

As the householder you have the right to search/examine anything which is delivered to your property whoever it may be addressed to!

OP if you suspect that someone is using your name and address to open mobile phone accounts to defraud the companies of contract phones you should probably inform the Gardai as this will be registered to your address and may affect your abllity to buy items using the same address in the future.

What concerns me also is how they can open a bill at my address in this country without proof of residence?

What do you mean here? are the bills from a company in a different country?

It sounds like someone has registered/bought contract phones using your address and is using those numbers for entering competitions and ringing international numbers.

You could contact the phone companies involved but as you are not the fraudster they will not discuss anything concerning the accounts with you.

Best to return the bills unopened with not known at this address written over the address area.

Merch

My name isnt used,

It is my address though
What I mean about in this country is that anytime I needed to open an account for anything, I always found it reasonably difficult to open them, ie in the past (before using my current pay as I go top up) if I changed mobile operators they wanted everything except my bloomin birth cert.

Just seems odd someone can open a mobile account, when i need to present a gas or esb bill and proof of identity and bank details.

I guess I will write not know at this address, but maybe add, stop sending me your junk mail, I already told you these people have never lived at my address.

They really are moronic if they allow themselves to be defrauded like this, just concerned it will end up with some connection being made with my address and these bills??? thought it might be useful info for gardai? as there is a phone number there for a country on the black sea, Not Ukraine or Bulgaria, probably just a waste of garda time really.

illegal, hmm oh I just open all mail that comes to my house, I assume its for me as I live there, I dont even read the name

slimjimmc

foggy_lad wrote: »

As the householder you have the right to search/examine anything which is delivered to your property whoever it may be addressed to!

OP if you suspect that someone is using your name and address to open mobile phone accounts to defraud the companies of contract phones you should probably inform the Gardai as this will be registered to your address and may affect your abllity to buy items using the same address in the future.

What do you mean here? are the bills from a company in a different country?

It sounds like someone has registered/bought contract phones using your address and is using those numbers for entering competitions and ringing international numbers.

You could contact the phone companies involved but as you are not the fraudster they will not discuss anything concerning the accounts with you.

Best to return the bills unopened with not known at this address written over the address area.

Not according to Sect 84 of Postal and Telecommunications Services Act, 1983 if you are not the person the letter is addressed to.

OP, has anyone lived at your address before you? If so then they could easily have opened an account. Anyway, other than going through the company or ComReg again I don't think there is anything you can do to prevent mail being delivered to your address (unless you move or seal up your letterbox).

Merch

No, I was the first and only person to own this place.