TiddlyPom

Lucky! I guess it depends on how the climate is too. Have people got the cash to chase debt? Is it worth their while?
I'm sure some of it gets written off immediately.

stellaman

they got you then? are you in the Uk now???

TiddlyPom

In what way 'got me'? Yes they contacted me. Yes I spoke to them and explained my situation, was totally up front and honest with them and when they got bolshy with me, I asked them to pursue it through court, which they didn't.
The debt was mine by association with someone else. Perhaps they contacted that other person too, I don't know. However, that's what they do... sell on the debt until it eventually gets written off but it takes far, far longer than 12 months.
They didn't pursue it through court because it's not legal to pursue a debt from the UK in Australia (it wasn't then, it may have changed) and given my circumstances at the time, it would have been impossible to pay anyway. The chances of them succeeding would have been pretty limited too. A letter from my solicitor did the trick and they sold it on.
When they sold it on to the Indian company, I told the new company in the nicest possible way to not contact me again, and they didn't.

Shot81

Maybe i could get away with it,
that’s if they can find me!

i have moved around 4 times in the last 3 years here in London, and each debt is at an old address, the people living at the address don’t know where I’m moving to, and also I have not called them to say I have moved. i won’t be closing any of my bank accounts etc... I have canceled my mobile phone with t-mobile and they asked why, told them I was leaving the UK asked me where I’m going and i said Mars….. no trace there.

My current bank letters go to my folks house, not where I live so "they don’t know" where I am.

Also all the debt is unsecured......they can’t do anything!
none of the credit cards state that if you fail to pay we will take your home... they are basically a "loan" which is not secured on anything.

I know a few people here who have taken out 10-15k un secure loans paid it for a year and then stopped and said I don’t have the cash, what you going do.
they can’t do anything. they may threaten you and say we will take you court or declare you bankrupt, but under what ground ? they lent you that money on the grounds you will pay it back and there was no guarantee to it as that's why it was an unsecured loan, but you did not agree to having that amount secured on your house etc... that’s why unsecure loans APR is higher than a secure loan.

You see these programs on the TV about people who have loads of debt and they get the bailiffs round etc…. what the program does not mention that all these loans / credit card are secure ones.

The unsecure ones tell them to bugger off and come back later.

xzibit

I took out a £8.5k loan 3 months ago, which I planned to pay until I left the country and then run off with the money. I also have been buying my flights, shipping, furniture etc on some credit cards that I have no intention in paying back.

I've got a £25k car on finance, but obviously I can't ship it, so I just decided to leave it in the street with the keys locked inside and just await for the company to come and recover it.

This running away from debt lark is awesome, nobody loses out, and it doesn't have any effect on the already unstable economy and banks at all!! I don't know why more people don't do it!!


This is a joke btw. As someone won't get it and start crying lol

Mr Kilt

My Mate left the UK with about 5k of debt on his credit cards. Went off around the world with no intention of coming back to Scotland. Things did not work out and he had to come back. The agency with the debt were sending letters to his old address contacting family etc but if he got a phone call he just told them they had the wrong number. After a while he did not here a peep from them. The irony was he actually lived 2 doors down from the agency that were chasing him. Very funny really but if it was me I would be worried. Oh and also he has the same name as his Dad so this caused no end of problems for his dad. As I said though he did not have to pay a penny back.

If it was me I would rather not owe but if you are willing to risk it for a biscuit then I would not grudge anyone screwing the big companies as they screw the little guys all the time.

Happy hunting

Shot81

2 doors down and they still could not get him lol lol

i will be paying it back, maybe not all of it but most of it

chris1386

Does anyone really 'get away with it' ? Surely they'll register a ccj against the person? if thats the case and you return to the UK you'll regret not paying up in the first instance.Maybe this cant be done if youre out of the coountry? Not sure but would be interested to hear a definitive answer from , say, a solicitor.

Pollyana

If you go back through previous "debt threads"there are a couple of posters who have professional experience in that area and they've posted lots ofofficial links etc to the legal position on chasing debts etc

Jon77

All very well saying you will never be caught, be there is always that 'what if' hanging at the back of your mind, I know it would for me.

We are moving to Australia in 6 months and whilst we wont have anywhere near as much cash as we would have liked we will be 100% debt free. We will need a mortgage in Australia eventually of course.

By the way, I am 33 and I have never owned a credit card.

mohogony

Do some people immigrate to OZ just so they can escape debt or may that be one of the reasons they immigrate? Do some people deliberately take out a loan or run up a credit card debt just before they immigrate thinking they will never have to pay it back? anyone here in OZ been forced to pay back debt they had in the UK.

Bermudashorts

We lived in Bermuda for two years between 2006 and 2008. When we left there were a couple of unpaid utilities and I think a month on a mobile phone contract or something, nothing deliberate just oversights and very small amounts, about £50 on average. One company traced my father in law and started pestering him. I cannot imagine how they managed to trace my father in law, anyway once they did we just paid up to avoid him being harrassed any more.

Two years later we returned to the UK. To a different address, a different area and I was even using a different name. I started to use my married name when I went to Bermuda for the very first time and when I retuned to the UK I continued to use it. I had never used my married name in UK before. Within about 6 months one of the utility companies sent me a bill to my new address in my maiden name. Two years after I returned to the UK another one did, for £35, this debt was now over 4 years old.

So the moral is do not underestimate the ability of companies to track you down, they don't give up on even small items never mind big ones. To get away with what you are considering, you would certainly have to be quite sure that you will not return to the UK within about 6 years.

And many people care about their credit rating by the way, it is quite handy to have a good one.

furbacchione

I look at this and numerous others that talk about their scams and think about another thread where an Indian national is stiffing the government for 100/month and pretty much everyone that responds wants to pull him from his bed, beat him and drag him to jail... But you guys appear to have run numerous "scams" and in multiple situations and doing your best to evade and no one says boo... Wonder why that is

It seems this place is never going to shake it's reputation for being a repository for criminals

Wonder how many would have their visa applications refused or revoked if they had to submit to a credit check

sean bassett

hi
very funny thread made me laugh alot but hate to top it all
i left blighty with 1.1 million pounds worth of debt

spartacus

Has anyone been round to repossess your sofa?