Attempted Scam re accident

Author
Discussion

Paul Dishman

Original Poster:

4,698 posts

237 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
Just had someone ring me about my wife's car. They gave the correct make and registration number and said they knew that it was in for bodywork repair and gave the date. They said that they knew that it had been involved in an accident.

I stopped the person speaking then and said that the car had indeed been in for bodywork, but it was for a corrosion repair. She thanked me and said that it must have been a clerical error and they'd close the file.

Interestingly the phone call came through on a local prefix, but I can't get a reply when I ring them back.

I rang the bodyshop and they said that they'd never sell the information, which I believe, but suggested I report this to the ICO which I've done.

I can't quite remember the name that I was given at the start of the phone call - "Auto-Issue" or something like that.

It'll be interesting to see if we hear from them again.

silentbrown

8,827 posts

116 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
Google the phone number?

Paul Dishman

Original Poster:

4,698 posts

237 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
silentbrown said:
Google the phone number?
Tried that, no result

Pixelpeep7r

8,600 posts

142 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
canvassing for injury claims?

was the car recovered ? - driver on a backhander from a solicitors ?

Paul Dishman

Original Poster:

4,698 posts

237 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
Pixelpeep7r said:
canvassing for injury claims?

was the car recovered ? - driver on a backhander from a solicitors ?
No. It wasn't in an accident, no solicitor or insurance company involved. Its a MX5 and needed some corrosion on its rear wheel arches sorting out.

loafer123

15,430 posts

215 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
Can only be the bodyshop, either officially or one of the staff.

Similar problems with hospitals.

tony wright

1,004 posts

250 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
loafer123 said:
Can only be the bodyshop, either officially or one of the staff.

Similar problems with hospitals.
Not necessarily, what's to stop Tom, Dick or Harry walking past and writing the reg number down along with make and model
I f the body shop doors or even windows allow.

tony wright

1,004 posts

250 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
loafer123 said:
Can only be the bodyshop, either officially or one of the staff.

Similar problems with hospitals.
Not necessarily, what's to stop Tom, Dick or Harry walking past and writing the reg number down along with make and model
I f the body shop doors or even windows allow.

BobSaunders

3,033 posts

155 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
It would mean having to walk by get the reg, have a contact at the dvla or another agency etc to look it up.

Sounds like the bodyshop, or someone at the bodyshop has sold it.

Paul Dishman

Original Poster:

4,698 posts

237 months

Friday 12th December 2014
quotequote all
BobSaunders said:
It would mean having to walk by get the reg, have a contact at the dvla or another agency etc to look it up.

Sounds like the bodyshop, or someone at the bodyshop has sold it.
But anyone at the bodyshop would know that it was in to have rusty wheel arches sorted, not after an accident.

ging84

8,893 posts

146 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all
The body shop and the employees might know its not in for accident repair but they might not care if a company is prepared to pay for the details of any car they've had in, they may even be told the purpose they are buying the details for.
On the other hand its not impossible that it could be someone outside, these details are reasonably valuable, it would worth someone's while going round all the local body shops jotting down then regs of all the cars in the car parks ever few days and selling the list to some ambulance chasers who can then use there various sources to get the customer details

johnao

669 posts

243 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all
ging84 said:
On the other hand its not impossible that it could be someone outside, these details are reasonably valuable, it would worth someone's while going round all the local body shops jotting down then regs of all the cars in the car parks ever few days and selling the list to some ambulance chasers who can then use there various sources to get the customer details
How would they get hold of the owner's phone number?

Paul Dishman

Original Poster:

4,698 posts

237 months

Saturday 13th December 2014
quotequote all
johnao said:
How would they get hold of the owner's phone number?
We're in the phone book.

The bodyshop are a local firm, but they do have some sort of connection with a national chain so I reckon that's where the leak came from.

It's probably an employee at Head Office selling on an old customer list as we had the work done in June 2013