Receiving calls from Advantis?

MrRockliffe · 21 May 2021 at 10:06

Update: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/forums/posts/34820318

Hi all,

For the past week, I’ve been receiving numerous calls from Advantis, who after some research, are a debt collection company.

I’m completely unsure what this would be in relation to - I’ve no long term debt (just credit card which gets paid off every month and my iPhone through Barclays finance).

I’ve checked my credit report and no missed payments since 2015 (when I started getting credit). In addition, no outstanding accounts.

I’ve used the same email address and primary home address for the past 8 years too, and haven’t had any contact from any companies about debt.

They (Advantis) asked me to provide some details to verify the account for GDPR purposes, however I refused to do so on the basis I have no idea who they are, and won’t provide sensitive personal data over the phone to a random company. They tried assuring me they were legitimate etc but I ultimately advised them I would be hanging up, and did so.

Anyone have any experience with them? Any ideas?

Many thanks

Thekwango · 21 May 2021 at 10:17

can't help in any constructive way, only dropped into the threat as i though it read 'receiving calls from Atlantis' ......which would have been so much cooler.

if you've checked your credit report (use more than one service just to be sure) and there's nothing on there i'd be telling them to jog on. they've likely got a debt for someone with the same or similar name to you. they've probably contacted a load of folk with the same name hoping to hook however the actual owner of the debt is.

still wish it was Atlantis though.

MrRockliffe · 21 May 2021 at 10:27

Thekwango said:
can't help in any constructive way, only dropped into the threat as i though it read 'receiving calls from Atlantis' ......which would have been so much cooler.

if you've checked your credit report (use more than one service just to be sure) and there's nothing on there i'd be telling them to jog on. they've likely got a debt for someone with the same or similar name to you. they've probably contacted a load of folk with the same name hoping to hook however the actual owner of the debt is.

still wish it was Atlantis though.

I recently moved house (rental) and the previous tenant, who is also the landlord) has been receiving lots of debt collection stuff.

I guess they could have gotten my mobile number from someone now I’ve registered everything at this address.

Edit: not Atlantis unfortunately

Hades · 21 May 2021 at 10:33

I had a debt collection agency chasing me about five years ago (not Advantis or Atlantis either). It turned out there was a mobile phone debt for someone in my area with the same first initial and surname. They were bombarding everyone who met that criteria with demands in the hope someone, anyone, would pay up. I told them to **** off and prove it was me (which it wasn't, so they couldn't) and got the usual "on this occasion we will no longer be contacting you for payment" letter rather than a apology.

MrRockliffe · 21 May 2021 at 10:36

Hades said:
I had a debt collection agency chasing me about five years ago (not Advantis or Atlantis either). It turned out there was a mobile phone debt for someone in my area with the same first initial and surname. They were bombarding everyone who met that criteria with demands in the hope someone, anyone, would pay up. I told them to **** off and prove it was me (which it wasn't, so they couldn't) and got the usual "on this occasion we will no longer be contacting you for payment" letter rather than a apology.

Interesting

Problem here is they won’t tell me anything about it “due to GDPR” and I’m not comfortable giving any of my info over. If they call again I’ll just ask them to provide me with information.

Hades · 21 May 2021 at 11:00

MrRockliffe said:
Interesting

Problem here is they won’t tell me anything about it “due to GDPR” and I’m not comfortable giving any of my info over. If they call again I’ll just ask them to provide me with information.

Then tell them to write to you. Don't confirm your address. Don't confirm any personal details. If the debt is yours they will have those details. If they don't have your address then it's unlikely to be your debt.

EDIT: Actually I just saw you moved house recently so it doesn't rule that out. Did you have a mail forwarding service setup when you moved? If you did then still tell them to write to you. I still wouldn't give any details to them though.

MrRockliffe · 21 May 2021 at 11:09

Hades said:
Then tell them to write to you. Don't confirm your address. Don't confirm any personal details. If the debt is yours they will have those details. If they don't have your address then it's unlikely to be your debt.

EDIT: Actually I just saw you moved house recently so it doesn't rule that out. Did you have a mail forwarding service setup when you moved? If you did then still tell them to write to you. I still wouldn't give any details to them though.

I moved from my dads - I haven’t had any bills other than mobile phone since July 2020.

Checked those accounts and they’re all closed with 0 balance.

I haven’t had any correspondence from anyone while at my dads.

Since I’ve been in and out of university (now finally out) I’ve had my dads address as my primary address for the past 5 years.

I will give them a call and ask them to write to me :-)

Rroff · 21 May 2021 at 11:18

Hades said:
I had a debt collection agency chasing me about five years ago (not Advantis or Atlantis either). It turned out there was a mobile phone debt for someone in my area with the same first initial and surname. They were bombarding everyone who met that criteria with demands in the hope someone, anyone, would pay up. I told them to **** off and prove it was me (which it wasn't, so they couldn't) and got the usual "on this occasion we will no longer be contacting you for payment" letter rather than a apology.

I don't know the exact details and possible the son fraudulently used neighbour's details as well but the son of my parent's old neighbours got himself in some serious trouble financially and went on the run and the collection agency tried to deviously get other people in the street including my dad on the hook for it when they couldn't find him. Obviously they got told to shove it.

GGizmo · 21 May 2021 at 11:59

Some years ago I had a debt company called Moorcroft Debt Recovery coming after me.

I didn't owe any debt to anyone.

I kept ignoring their calls at first, they would leave answerphone messages. Then one day I thought I'm going to see what they want. So when they called up I asked them what it was about. They said an unpaid bill by British Gas. I said I've never been a customer of British Gas. Then I told them to put it all in writing and send it me in a letter. They didn't send me a letter or called again.

builder22 · 21 May 2021 at 12:01

Why don't they just send letters straight away?

Who's going to start confirming details to some random debt collection agency over the phone, I guess some people must!

Hades · 21 May 2021 at 12:01

Rroff said:
I don't know the exact details and possible the son fraudulently used neighbour's details as well but the son of my parent's old neighbours got himself in some serious trouble financially and went on the run and the collection agency tried to deviously get other people in the street including my dad on the hook for it when they couldn't find him. Obviously they got told to shove it.

BowdonUK said:
Some years ago I had a debt company called Moorcroft Debt Recovery coming after me.

I didn't owe any debt to anyone.

I kept ignoring their calls at first, they would leave answerphone messages. Then one day I thought I'm going to see what they want. So when they called up I asked them what it was about. They said an unpaid bill by British Gas. I said I've never been a customer of British Gas. Then I told them to put it all in writing and send it me in a letter. They didn't send me a letter or called again.

This is what a lot of debt companies do. They buy a debt and then chase anyone they can for it. e.g. they know it's John Smith in Wimbledon but don't have any more details so they just call all John Smiths in that area until they find the right one or until someone innocent is scared enough to pay them. They don't really care who pays it as long as they get a payment. It's why I always suggest to people they should never give out any details.

Hades · 21 May 2021 at 12:03

builder22 said:
Why don't they just send letters straight away?

Who's going to start confirming details to some random debt collection agency over the phone, I guess some people must!

Because they don't have the address and it's a speculative sales call to scare someone into paying. e.g. an elderly person may be frightened into just paying it, even if they don't believe it's theirs, to make the problem go away. Also the person may be pressured into giving more details such as their address. Then the deb company will have more and more details on you to convince you the debt is actually yours.

MagicBoy · 21 May 2021 at 12:11

I had them chasing me for something last year. Educated guess is that they'd bought some old debt in from elsewhere and were trying their luck after some algorithm had matched my first initial and name off the electoral register to someone else's legacy debt, so they started sending threatening letters on the off chance.

Phoned them up from the work mobile, quoted the reference number on the letter. Refused to provide any of my personal data and told them point blank they'd got the wrong address. They asked how I knew that ... so I pointed out that I'd bought the properly off the developer and was the only person who ever lived here in the last 10 years. They stopped after that. Nothing showing on my credit reports.

builder22 · 21 May 2021 at 12:12

Hades said:
Because they don't have the address and it's a speculative sales call to scare someone into paying. e.g. an elderly person may be frightened into just paying it, even if they don't believe it's theirs, to make the problem go away. Also the person may be pressured into giving more details such as their address. Then the deb company will have more and more details on you to convince you the debt is actually yours.

Ahh, makes sense!

hudson86 · 21 May 2021 at 12:56

I was getting slightly imtimidating debt collector calls on my landline when i moved to Virgin .. is so and so there, who ? , you know who.. whats your name , etc .

I googled the number and found it had been recycled by Virgin, previous owner was a Dog Kennels that went bankrupt. Got Virgin to change the number free of charge.

Dont give them any info, change your number if its too much hassle.

Blackjack Davy · 21 May 2021 at 13:15

It'll either be relating to a previous tenant/occupier or someone has fraudulently entered your address as their own so you're the only trace the debt recovery has.

Difficult to know what to say really they are/can be annoyingly persistent as often debts are sold on to debt recovery companies who will use all sorts of pressure to try and leverage some kind of response I know I've been there from persistent letters to bailiff's turning up on the doorstep unannounced.

Semple · 21 May 2021 at 13:28

Hades said:
Because they don't have the address and it's a speculative sales call to scare someone into paying. e.g. an elderly person may be frightened into just paying it, even if they don't believe it's theirs, to make the problem go away. Also the person may be pressured into giving more details such as their address. Then the deb company will have more and more details on you to convince you the debt is actually yours.

Pretty disgusting practice really. They shouldn't even be allowed to speak to the person unless they've got full name, address and contact details. That would prevent them from cold calling a number of random people who just so happened to have the same surname as the debt they're trying to collect.

Cleisthenes · 21 May 2021 at 13:29

I've had dealings with them before through work. Usually related to unpaid parking charges or British Gas bills which had been passed to a debt collector. Legitimate, but annoying!

darael · 21 May 2021 at 13:42

Simply tell them that you will be blocking their number and that you will only communicate in writing, this way you will have proof of everything. Don't enter into any form of a conversation with them, don't ask them any questions and don't answer any questions - if they try to speak with you, remind them that you will only communicate in writing, politely say goodbye and hang up.

MrRockliffe · 25 May 2021 at 12:33

Eventually managed to sort out the identity issue and turns out it was from a late vehicle tax earlier this year

My car tax is 0, and I thought I’d set it up to auto renew every Jan, but when I happened to check it earlier this year I noticed I must not have done it properly, so ended up doing it a month late. At the same time, I updated my address on my vehicle log book, but all comms went to my last one

Apparently I can appeal it, and I will try since it was an honest mistake, and my road tax is free anyway

Annoying, nevertheless.