JayDeee

I have just got back from 6 days away to find that some "really nice person" is using my address and business name for fraud

I wont go into full details as I am hoping that this will go further but I will give you the basics

Some person stayed here (I run a backpackers for those who dont know) a few months back the person was from South Africa and as far as we were concerned a traveller, said person (sorry about this but I dont want to specify the gender of the person) stayed for about 6 weeks over xmas. since this time we have been recieving letters to a completely different person some of which have said car of this persons surname and the type of company the persons father has in south africa followed by my business name.

we had been sending them back to sender and more recently throwing them away, then during my time away my hubby got peed off with them so oppened one, it was from a major Australian company chasing the person for over a grand for a bounced cheque. so hubby called them and informed them that the person they are addressing the letters to (we believe) doesn;t exist and the person they are looking for is bla bla bla. so this evening I get home and he tells me and we have one more letter that hasn't been thrown away so I opened it to find that another company are chasing the person for near on $6000. I called the police and was aksed to go and give a statement, so I get there and am told as no crime was commited against me?????????????????????????????/ my address, company name being used is not a crime against me. they are not interested and suggest I contact my bank to inform them that this person has nothing to do with me or my company and to put an advert in the West Australian stating that this person has nothing to do with me or my company. END OF STORY.

Are they taking the piss or what, I can get them so much evidence to find this person and they are not interested. I have told them that I will contact the senders of any future letters (which is up to 10 per week) and they said that I am not allowed to open the letters as they are not addressed to mel. So now I am the criminal. Yes there is only evidence of $7000 so far but had I kept all the other letters I dread to think how much this will run into.

I know it is not right to open other peoples mail however I do believe that in this situation it is acceptable and I will continue to open the letters so I can contact the companies and clear my name and also hope that one of the companies who have had fraud commited against them do something about it.


Sorry rant over but I am so pissed off about this, the police here have yet again let me down.

Kala

wmoore

Why not send the letters back to the senders unopened with a letter saying "I guess this letter is to do with XXX?" and writing your explanation?

Or maybe send all the letters to the police station and let them deal with it directly

JayDeee

The police dont want to have anything to do with it, they say as a crime has not been commited against me (which I dont understand as these letters are addressed to my address using my business name) then they are in his words not interested.

Sending them abck to the sender is what we did for some months but we are still recieving the mail. I will try as you have said with the explanation goind with it.

Just frustrated me so much, I cant even remember how many times I have had to call the police and they just dont seem to give a shite.

Kala

wmoore

Not quite the same but about 15 years ago I went to the police because someone had hit my car (parked outside the house) and drove off. I was 99% sure it was a milk float, because when the car alarm went off at 4am, I looked out the window and saw the mik float heading up the street, then I went out to check the car and saw this dent.

I went to the police and they said it was 'a civil matter' and wouldn't help. They were bloody sarcastic too

JayDeee

Drives ya crazy doesn't it, I hope you cancelled your milk order

Kala

Simone

Just wanted to say: :scared: :scared: Arghhh!!!


Good luck!

Merlot

Sorry to hear your story Kala, is it that the police don't care as they are under resourced, have no powers even if they catch up with crims or have plethora of civil lib folks battering at their door if they try to so something. Frustrating isn't it.

I just think that there is less and less justice for the average person on the street who does the right things in life and those that break laws get away with a lot more.

Hope you get resolved soon.

M

wmoore

Oh I did much more than that. But I'm not going to go into it here

Merlot

Cancelled your eggs too?

pazza

Hi wmoore,

Not meaning to sound unsympathetic, but i'm sure "Ernie", with his fastest milk cart in the west, was in Aussie about 15 year ago.

wmoore

I think it was his mate Eric.

JackTheLad

Was it 'Ernie - the fastest milkman in the west'?

Otherwise you could have spent 10 minutes getting dressed, and slowly dandered up the street and had a word with him.

Cheers,
JTL

pazza

LOL..

xxdebsonlinexx

Hi Kala
What i would do is what your already doing contact the companies explain what has happend and give them any details you have to them and then let them sort it. Im sure they will have a fraud section or they will have some sort of fraud procedure to follow in these situations.

It must be a nightmare knowing that they have used your address but its not really a matter for the police its up to the companies themselves to bring him to court to get the money back which is owed to them.

Hope you can get it sorted

Debs xxx

JayDeee

I completely agree, however the person has not only used my address but my company name, this could cause me major problems getting any kind of finance both business and personal etc etc, I cant see how that is not a crime against me and my company.

Anyway I have looked the person up on the internet and what a crap criminal they are, I found them so easily even a photo. DUH.

I will just keep an eye on it and see what happens, I have had a thought though that I am probably completely within the law in opening the mail as it is addressed to a person but at my company name and me being the owner should surely be entitled to open the mail.

I'l check on that before I open anymore.

Kala