Is my address being used for a scam

loobylou

I have recently started receiving post addressed to persons I have never heard of. The first few I simply returned to sender, next few I brought back to local PO and explained situation. They seemed uninterested.
Received another today from telecom company so I decided to open it. It’s a confirmation of the set-up of a direct debit mandate from a bank.
Anyone any thoughts on what’s happening?

Fart

Wipe your arse with the letter.

You'll be grand.

spodoinkle

loobylou wrote: »

I have recently started receiving post addressed to persons I have never heard of. The first few I simply returned to sender, next few I brought back to local PO and explained situation. They seemed uninterested.
Received another today from telecom company so I decided to open it. It’s a confirmation of the set-up of a direct debit mandate from a bank.
Anyone any thoughts on what’s happening?

how long have you lived there

Plopsu

You might want to ask for this thread to be moved to PI.

Boom_Bap

Maybe you have stolen someones identity and you done such an amazing bang up job, you have completely become them and forgot your previous identity.

Do you have a beautiful mind?

Seth Brundle

What is your address? I can then check if it is on a spam database.
Also provide your name and credit card details to verify your identity please.

TuringBot47

loobylou wrote: »

I have recently started receiving post addressed to persons.... Received another today from telecom company so I decided to open it.

You've committed a criminal offense there.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/act/21/section/53/enacted/en/html

If it's not in your name, you can't open it.

Hand them back to the postman if you catch him, or write "Return to sender - unknown addressee" on the letters and return to post office.

loobylou

TuringBot47 wrote: »

You've committed a criminal offense there.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/act/21/section/53/enacted/en/html

If it's not in your name, you can't open it.

I’ll take my chances

FanadMan

Next door neighbour who didn't get their address right?

Wayne Jarvis

There isn't much information to go on OP so I just have more questions than answers for you!
Do you travel much? Is there a chance someone squatted in your house when you were away? Do you rent or own? If you rent I would get on to the landlord/management company. If you own you could always pop into your local Garda station and talk to one of them. Where I live has houses and apartments with the same address, so 12 Boards Drive is in the same estate as Apartment 12 Boards Drive. We regularly get the mail of the house and they regularly get ours, do you have a similar setup? Have any new people moved into your area? Maybe someone wrote the wrong address down when filling out change of address forms? Did you have someone living with you that recently moved out? Maybe they forgot to change the address?

scamalert

is it random names or single name to ?


anyway no harm in opening, if any suspicious activity like direct debit drop it off to guards when you have few, before someone attempts to take out some credit union or bank loan.


seems like targeted move not a random mistake one off.

loobylou

Guy Person wrote: »

There isn't much information to go on OP so I just have more questions than answers for you!
Do you travel much? Is there a chance someone squatted in your house when you were away? Do you rent or own? If you rent I would get on to the landlord/management company. If you own you could always pop into your local Garda station and talk to one of them. Where I live has houses and apartments with the same address, so 12 Boards Drive is in the same estate as Apartment 12 Boards Drive. We regularly get the mail of the house and they regularly get ours, do you have a similar setup? Have any new people moved into your area? Maybe someone wrote the wrong address down when filling out change of address forms? Did you have someone living with you that recently moved out? Maybe they forgot to change the address?

I own, but recently have rented out a room on Daft. They made my full address available, something I since regret.
The names also seem to have a very Irish sounding first name, Henry or Anthony and an usual foreign sounding surname.

BDI

Go all John wick on the postman

loobylou

scamalert wrote: »

is it random names or single name to

I got two letters for one guy, one delivered and another kept in PO as there had been nobody home to sign for it. That letter only had a surname on it.
I went to the PO out of curiousity. They wouldn’t give me the letter obviously but showed it to me. There was no name of the sender but it did have a mobile number on it. I tried dialing it a couple of times but always get a machine.

Wayne Jarvis

loobylou wrote: »

I own, but recently have rented out a room on Daft. They made my full address available, something I since regret.
The names also seem to have a very Irish sounding first name, Henry or Anthony and an usual foreign sounding surname.

Ah I see. It could be somebody that got the address from daft and is trying to use it as proof they live here to claim the dole. It could not be too but that's the only thing I can think of. Again I would say go bring any letters you have with you to the local Gardaí station and see what they say.



If you do suspect dole fraud you can report the name on the welfare website linked below.


https://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/secure/ReportFraud.aspx

Capt'n Midnight

loobylou wrote: »

I’ll take my chances

on conviction on indictment, to a fine not exceeding €75,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years or both.

5 years means citizens arrest applies.

jammiedodgers

Burn your house down. Like to see them try deliver them then.

dxhound2005

TuringBot47 wrote: »

You've committed a criminal offense there.

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2011/act/21/section/53/enacted/en/html

If it's not in your name, you can't open it.

Hand them back to the postman if you catch him, or write "Return to sender - unknown addressee" on the letters and return to post office.

They have not committed an offence under the legislation you quoted. That applies to people like postpersons who process and deliver mail. I would be surprised if there is legislation which makes a criminal of someone who decides to throw stuff like this in the fire or in the bin. It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure that they are doing business with a legitimate person.

I have seen reports of people who did return letters, but they just kept getting more from the same sources.

Samuel T. Cogley

loobylou wrote: »

I own, but recently have rented out a room on Daft. They made my full address available, something I since regret.
The names also seem to have a very Irish sounding first name, Henry or Anthony and an usual foreign sounding surname.

Yes that fantastically popular Irish name, Henry :pac:

Ted_YNWA

Drop me a message when that package arrives, you'll know it when it arrives.

TuringBot47

loobylou wrote: »

I got two letters for one guy, one delivered and another kept in PO as there had been nobody home to sign for it.

When a letter has to be signed for it tends to be something with legal implications. Someone signing up for a phone contract, etc.
Most companies won't pay extra for that for simple mail.
You might get demands for payment and debt collectors calling in a year or two, if this was some scam and they stopped paying. Obviously not enforceable against yourself.

There's a chance if the scammers are local they might try intercepting your mail as well as theirs.

I'm not sure if it's within their remit, but I think the Irish credit bureau will check peoples credit history before any loans are taken out.

http://www.icb.ie/faq.php

I'm not sure if you can ask them to block applications against your address unless it's explicitly in your name ?

Cee-Jay-Cee

scamalert wrote: »

is it random names or single name to ?


anyway no harm in opening, if any suspicious activity like direct debit drop it off to guards when you have few, before someone attempts to take out some credit union or bank loan.


seems like targeted move not a random mistake one off.

Guards will not be interested. There is no evidence of a crime being committed so they’ll simply tell you to return them with addressee unknown written on the envelope.

Cuddlesworth

Talk to your postman, not the post office. He will be more interested in binning them at the post office, since he is the one that has to carry them around.

Day Lewin

Years ago I received a few letters, official-looking with window, addressed to some unknown couple but giving my address, clearly printed.

I ignored the first but was puzzled when the second one arrived. I opened it. It was from some bank confirming the opening of a new account and giving an initial statement.
I telephoned that actual bank and said
"I think it's possible that one of your new customers has given a false address. This is MY address, and nobody of those names has ever lived here"
They were extremely grateful, agreed that it sounded a bit dodgy, said they would look into it and I never got such a letter again.

Rochester

My address was used for someone to set up a mobile phone account which of course he never paid. It is my family home and this individual had no connection whatsoever with the address. Anyway the bills kept coming and then the debt collection letters and then the solicitors letters. V***fone had zero interest in helping once they had signed over the debt. It took me a while to sort it out.

gmufc19

I recently got a letter addressed to my house but in the name of a stranger. I checked out the eircode which turned out to be for house no. 21 on my road rather than my house, no. 12. So obviously a typo.

katiek102010

We had this a few years ago. Stupidly ignored it. Didn't even link it to a lost purse nearly a year before.
Someone opened up a mobile phone account to our address.

Started getting debt collector letters and it affected us getting a mortgage when we wanted one as it about 12 months to sort out

Azizur Rahman

I'd open the letters, find out where they came from and ring those places to notify them that your address is being used, likely for criminal purposes.

Regarding opening the letters and whether it's an offence if it's done "without reasonable excuse" . In this instance, if you don't know the names and no one should be using your address I would say you have a reasonable excuse to open the letters to prevent your address getting black listed for debt etc.

Edgware

Send your bank details to my Lagos office and I will instruct An Post to cease this incorrect distribution of mail forthwith. A letter from our legal boys will get results

MetzgerMeister

I'm living in my house over a year now and I'm still getting post for people who rented the place a number of years ago. The same thing is happening you as these people didn't bother changing their address with some companies and they're not missing what's being sent to you. I mainly get stuff from insurance companies, banks, dunnes stores etc.

Either write "not at this address" and put it in the post or just bin everything you get and let them sort it out themselves. It's not up to you to sort it out and you're better off not opening anything.

loobylou

Azizur Rahman wrote: »

I'd open the letters, find out where they came from and ring those places to notify them that your address is being used, likely for criminal purposes.

Tried this. The businesses involved will not discuss anything with me because I am not the account holder, under data protection laws.
You couldn’t make this bs up.