That the police don't seem particularly bothered that our address is being used for fraud

[SakiSiam]

Yesterday we received an 'intention to prosecute' notice from Avon and Somerset Police, for speeding. Name on address I'd never heard of - address; ours. The offence took place in Gloustershire, somewhere we've never been. Anywhy, vehicle wasn't registered to us. Today, two more letters: One from Metropolitan Police and another from North Yorkshire Police; again for speeding, differing registration numbers. Again, took place in places we'd never visited. All addressed to same name, at our address.

Obviously our address is being used for fraudulent purposes, but of the two police areas we've rung the response is 'return it, saying how long you've lived there', and 'if you want to include a covering note, do'. I can't help feeling they're going to write off these offences (no resources to follow up). It can be checked on the electoral roll who lives at our property, but I worry how many times has our address been used to defraud in the meantime. It may be unimportant in terms of crime, but it really bothers me that someone is using our address to avoid prosecutions. It also encourages people to evade the law when this type of thing isn't followed up, because there's too much pressure on the police service.

Could this have been used as a previous address? Or have you lived there too long for that to be the case?
At least your names aren't involved-that would be worse case scenario.
I would send them back with not known at this address.
You'd be surprised how many people use different addresses for car log books. My mil has had a few-unknown names, but her address.
You're not being unreasonable but I think if they're saying that, it's possibly not classed as fraud as such.
Hope you sort it op 🤞🏻

Hi @embaex
We've lived here for 18 years. However, prior to us buying the house the property was used for some 'nefarious' purposes. I've done the 'not known at this address'. The reason I think there might be some fraud involved is because they're presumably giving our address for insurance, etc. For the first few years we lived here we got countless letters demanding money from bailiffs, and I had to keep ringing people up to say this person doesn't reside at this property.

Have you tried reporting it via the police's online form to get a crime number? I did this when we started to get bus lane fines for a cloned car - I said i wanted a crime number to quote back to the people trying to prosecute me for not paying the fines.

We had similar. A local career criminal was giving our address every time he was arrested (often!). We were getting letters saying bailiffs etc would be coming as he hasn't paid his fines. I rang the magistrates court and the police to inform them he had not lived here in at least the last 15 years but they were less than interested. I wrote them both a letter after about the fifth time he used our address and I haven't heard from them since. I'm not sure whether they have new details for him or whether he hasn't been arrested since though.

SakiSiam I understand how very upsetting it must be for you but there’s not a lot you can do apart from repeating the fact they are not known at this address

I moved into house that had lots of unpaid bills and bailiffs warrants outstanding. All I could do was keep repeating myself and showing them documentation.

First thing I learnt was to keep a copy of my car ownership near the front door to stop them clamping my car

I also had false parking tickets and speeding fines for an unknown vehicle 200 miles away. I wrote to DVLA who gave me certified letter to send to everyone

Write to dvla taking photocopies of speeding fines, that Person X is falsely using your address and they are to ensure any details are removed

Write to complaints of each of these police teams, copying the other notices, advising they have a serial offender giving out false (your) address and should mark his police prosecution as so - they can take it further if they wish but police are lazy, you have to provide them with the evidence

Police are lazy... @Ikeptgoing that's a nice thing to say. Presumably you have met each and every one?

I was going to suggest action fraud, but this isn't quite their area I don't think. I think you should do multiple reports to thf forces concerned and provide proof of all to all.
I don't think it is a complaint territory as your issue is that you want someone to act rather than someone has behaved in a way you are not happy with.

So m

I second the police are lazy.
This is a big worry for you and quite frustrating. I don’t have any advice other than to keep reporting and be meticulous with your information security so that it’s watertight against other types of fraud.

When I was a child the police turned up in the middle of the night and threatened to break the door down because someone had committed a crime in a car they had fraudulently registered to our address. The police didn't seem to care when they found out it was the wrong address!

I got a call out the blue the other day from a police force in Scotland as an old car of mine had been used in a crime and even though I had sent in the little Dvla slip, they still had my address on file. Have you sold a car recently?

Thirded. the police are often just lazy. They aim for the 'resolution' that involves the least work for them, and if they can get away with not recording something as a crime, they will.

I wouldn’t have expected the police to be particularly bothered about your address being used fraudulently. Actually I have somebody using my address on DVLA stuff, I keep returning not at this address.

Thankfully, things like this now go against the individual rather than the address, there's no such thing as 'blacklisting' an address anymore. So it doesn't actually affect you at all, other than the obvious concern over someone using your details. All that will happen is "oh they don't live there" and move on as it's so common now.
It's a ballache for you but you just have to respond to each letter saying they don't live there and maybe inform the dvla too as that's where the speeding data will be pulled from.
Also, completely missing the point, but if you've never been to Gloucestershire, you really should go, it's beautiful!

Agree with above posters.

I have personal experience of how easy it is to 'kidnap' an address and basic laziness of credit checkers that leads it to be a credulous address.

Someone added an 'A' e.g. 21A Acacia Avenue to my house address, making it look like a flat.

I started to get stuff from DVLA, TV Licensing etc. and ensured returned with along the lines of incorrect address / does not exist and even lodged a block with the Post Office (circa 25 years ago!)

Anyway, doing a casual stalk (as you do) of previous house property prices and 21A came up! Very confused and will definitely have a look if in area!

I would contact the DVLA. In order for the fines to be issued the captured reg details are checked against the DVLA records so those cars must be registered with the DVLA at your address. If you haven't received any documentation through the post for someone of that name from the DVLA then i'm not sure how someone could have registered the cars at your address. Let the DVLA investigate. They should be able to check your address and see how many vehicles are registered to it. They can then raise with the police, it's much more likely to investigated that way.

Let the DVLA investigate. They should be able to check your address and see how many vehicles are registered to it. They can then raise with the police, it's much more likely to investigated that way.

Been here, tried it. The DVLA aren't interested. I had a duff log book sent to my address. I tried to get them to remove my address from their records but they refused.

I returned from holiday many years ago to a demand letter from a catalogue, using my name and address. No other correspondence previously received. I rang the company and explained I had no idea what it was about - they said it was my name, address and dob so it must be me. I had never received any goods or signed any documents. I rang fraud and 2 officers came out. Turns out the goods went to an address around the corner but when they visited, they denied receiving any goods. However, my name was cleared. Then a few years after that I received a National Insurance Number for a different name but at my address. When I rang up they said it was common and that the person would have to bring the letter to the job centre in order to claim so basically they wouldn't get anywhere without it. They said they'd note it on that person's file. I didn't bother with the Police that time.
So, what I'm saying is, it is quite common but defo report to Police any 'money owing' issues, get a CRN and let the letter issuer know as it could affect your credit rating.

Ontheboardwalk > 'First thing I learnt was to keep a copy of my car ownership near the front door to stop them clamping my car.'
Thanks for responding. It appears this person is commiting offences in more than one vehicle. However, they all seem to be Ford transits. Our car is not that model, with a numberplate that doesn't match up to these vehicles. But I see what you're saying when bailiffs are involved, because they could take your car if debts are owed. Our situation was the same for about two years, as far as unpaid debts and bailiffs being involved was concerned. I was constantly ringing people up, tellling them these people didn't live here, and being asked if I knew what this person's new address was (I didn't). I have to say, I don't remember there being one debt collection company who didn't accept what was I was saying and bothered us again. Of course, once you're on the next electoral roll anybody can see who's residing at that address, so perhaps they used that. That was about 16 years ago, so it's been a shock that we're now being targeted in this type of way.

charlieclown > Again, thanks. I have been in touch with some of the parking offence bodies, but don't have proof of not being that person. I've only got proof of who I am. I don't even drive, so I'm not gaily speeding around London, York, Gloucestershire, etc :-) What I've done is 'return to sender, not known at this address' the 'notice of prosecution' in the original envelope, as advised by the first two responders on the end of the phone, and noted how long we've been at this address. ikeptgoing > I have started putting a covering note stating that this is the [whatever amount] I've received one of these.

HappyThursdays > We part-exchanged our car for another one a few months ago, but they were both Jaguers and these fines are for a Ford Transit, so I assume it's not that.

Pearsapiece > If I get the chance (once this horrible virus allows) I will try!

Got another one today; this time apparently we'd been in Havering - don't even know where that is (Kent?). That's four penalty notices, from different boroughs, in three days. I don't understand why they're all arriving in such a short time when the offences range from May to September. I have to say, it's got so ridiculous (today, the notice included a photograph of the front of 'our' vehicle, which had been in a bus lane when it shouldn't have been), that I've started to ridiculously look forward to the post, to see where I've been next .

Unfortunately there isn't much the police can do. They do not have the time or resources to check the electoral roll for every traffic stop. Camera or otherwise

Have you checked your credit file? Likely nothing will show as it appears they're using another name but I'd do it for peace of mind. Credit Karma is free and will send you alerts when anything is applied for (in your name only)

I wonder if you can utilise Data Protection legislation. These organisations are "storing" data that is identifying. It might be a stretch but under the DPA 2018 you have the right (and I mean right) to have inaccurate data corrected (or removed). So DVLA for a start and then each police force. Data Protection breaches can carry significant penalties so organizations are very cautious around it. Check out the ICO website for more details.

I had exactly the same issue as you. I went to the police station (when we had one) with the unpaid fine and bailiff notices, same as you, they were not I interested as you can’t carry out fraud on an address, a vehicle had been registered at my address but not in my name. Apparently it’s a very common occurrence, a vehicle will be bought, registered to an address, accumulate parking tickets, speeding fines and in my case congestion charges for a few months, it’ll then be reregistered to another member of the gang, to another spurious address and so on.
The advice given was to call each of the companies I received a bill from, let them know it wasn’t my car, explain no-one of that name had lived at the address for the length of time I’d been here and that I was not aware of any car being registered to my address, all fines to my address ceased. Good luck with it, I’m still hoping for karma for the people that put us through these trials, as if we don’t have enough to deal with, without the threat of bailiffs!

I don't have a credit file, jeff1965. Good advice, but they'd struggle to get credit in my name. I'm one of those strange human beings who's never had a credit card or bought anything on credit. I found out that was a drawback several years ago, in some circumstances, but in this case it's not something I'm worried about.

MildlyMiserable > Wow, I'm horrified to hear of this > "You can’t carry out fraud on an address, a vehicle had been registered at my address but not in my name. Apparently it’s a very common occurrence, a vehicle will be bought, registered to an address, accumulate parking tickets, speeding fines and in my case congestion charges for a few months, it’ll then be reregistered to another member of the gang, to another spurious address and so on."

The advice we've been given is to state how long you've live at that address, but I'm shocked how common this must be.