Debt Collection Agencies

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I reading through the site, I see lots of Debt Collection Agencies advertising their services. We all know that all the lenders use them to do their dirty work, without having to take any responsibility for their actions. My question is these agenciers seem to be a law on to themselves. I see one agency advertising the fact that it will get " details of any Savings or investments which a borrower in difficulty, may have. Surely this practice is illegal, dispite the presence of the Data protection Act.

Michael

-- Michael Mullins (Michael.Mullins@tinyworld.co.uk), January 29, 2001

Answers

It's an interesting question. It is not illegal to get details of any savings or investments which a borrower in difficulty may have. But it is illegal to do certain things that you might do while obtaining that information.

Those things include posing as an Inland Revenue employee, making unauthorised access to DSS records or paying people to make unauthorised access to DSS records.

There are plenty of ways in which you might break the law while acquiring this data but acquiring the data itself is not illegal.

Also, enforcement of Data Protection law is so wet that it would be laughable (or would be laughable if it were not for the consequences it has for some people).

Lee

-- Lee (repossession@bigfoot.com), January 29, 2001.


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