Tracing Insurance Policy Holders

[Shuttheshutters]

I have had a letter sent to me at an address I am not on registered at.

The letter is relating to an old life insurance policy taken out 20 years ago that is now up.

My question is, how have they traced me? It isn’t electoral roll as I am not on it. I am panicking because I fled from domestic violence some years later and I do not want my address known. The policy is joint too with my ex husband. What do they use to find you? Why have they written to me and not him? Do HMRC give them info?

Bumping for the evening mn crowd. Can anybody help, my anxiety is through the roof with this. Just so scared my details could be available.

Bump

They might have used a "finders" service - an heir hunter/genealogist firm. As solicitors, we use them when we're searching for beneficiaries of wills. Or if it's a big insurance company they might have their own in-house search department.

This is an example of one: www.findersinternational.co.uk/

For your peace of mind, give them a ring and ask

Were you paying by direct debit? I had a similar letter - my bank forwarded a letter from a life assurance company I'd taken out a policy with years ago. That was the only way they'd been able to find me. The bank didn't give them my details, but sent the information on to me.

I understand your fears, having been in a similar situation. Try googling your name and where you live, check if anything comes up. Hopefully not, and it has been done via your bank too

Probably your credit file? Any financial companies will report your address to the credit agencies - bank accounts, insurance, credit cards, etc. It’s not public record and your ex husband wouldn’t be able to find you through it. It’s a common way for creditors to find people who have moved and not updated their addresses, etc.

I’d contact the company and make it very clear that they need to be careful with your data, though, just incase.

I’m sorry that you're dealing with this, though. I was a few years ago for the same reason, the anxiety was insane Do call and ask them, if it’ll help a bit to have it explained by them.

You can find most people with name, dob or reasonable estimate of age with facebook, 192, companies house, or other search websites. You will have also provided some ID and info on your initial application.

I work in a bank, we quite regularly get sent letters from insurance companies asking us to forward on a sealed letter from them to a customer that they no longer have the address for. Nothing is disclosed to them or anyone else, the letter is just sent on to the right place. They send it to the bank that the payments have been made from assuming they have the right contact details.

Thank you all.

It isnt from my bank, I don’t have the account that I made payments from years ago so it can’t be that.

Everything else is not registered at my address, no credit or anything taken out from here.

The only thing I can think of is HMRC, I wonder if it could be them?

I could ring and ask but won’t they think it odd of me asking them where they got my address? And would they even tell me?

So sorry for those of you who have been in similar situations, it is so shit living with this fear all the time.