Gone fishing – the Lewis Group’s debt collection techniques
By Paul Nikkel
Bitterwallet has little time for debt collection agencies, but there are varying degrees of unpleasantness. Scraping the bottom of this slimy gutter are those companies that deceive and bully people into paying up. A Bitterwallet reader has been in touch, concerned about a letter he received from a sinister sounding organisation:
This morning I got a letter from the Scottish Bureau of Investigation? It was addressed to “The Occupier” and not to me, but I’m named in the letter. It asked “if you are this person, or can provide information on where they can be contacted” then to phone them on an 0870 number about a “personal matter”? It’s signed with a scribble that can’t be read, but there’s no contact name given.
What is this organisation and what do they want from me?? It scared my wife to death, but I won’t call them without knowing what they want.
It’ll be about money. You might owe thousands, you might owe pennies – regardless, the Scottish Bureau of Investigation is a dormant company that doesn’t trade, operated by a debt collection agency called The Lewis Group Ltd. They fish for information and hope to scare people into contacting them, at which point a person unwittingly confirms both their identity and address.
It’s a tactic often employed by The Lewis Group, as advertised on their website:
We champion various collection techniques and activities to ensure optimum results. We house a large library of letters, tested for their effectiveness and collection managers have the ability to swiftly introduce new letters, as required.
There are laws and guidelines governing such correspondence from debt collection agencies; the Administration of Justice Act 1970 states that harassment or “behaviour calculated to subject [an individual] or members of [their] family or household to alarm, distress or humiliation” is illegal.
Sending such documents would also seem to undermine the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) debt collection guidelines which stipulate that debt companies should not undertake “unfair practises” such as:
- leaving out or presenting information in such a way that it creates a false or misleading impression
- not making clear who they are, who they work for, what their role is, what the purpose of the contact is
- asking or instructing debtors to make contact on premium rate telephone numbers
Just last week, OFT reported on another tracing technique, where similar letters are sent to neighbours with a similar address to fish for information on their targets.
What can be done about letters like these? Unless The Lewis Group contact you by name, state the nature of the debt and who they are seeking to recover monies on behalf of, ignore their correspondence – the letter has no legal standing and you’re not required to contact them.
Bitterwallet attempted to speak to The Lewis Group concerning the Scottish Bureau of Investigation. We contacted their head office in Cleckheaton, but were given the Bureau’s direct number in Glasgow. We called the number and reached… The Lewis Group. Upon asking to speak to their PR department, we were transferred back to Cleckheaton where a member of staff refused to either transfer the call to their PR department or provide a contact name.
We called Consumer Direct and talked through the contents of the letter. We were told that since the letter failed to explain its purpose, wasn’t address to an individual and requested contact via a premium rate number, the letter was in breach of OFT guidelines, adding that anyone receiving such a letter should ignore it. For more information you can call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06, or to make an official complaint, contact the Office of Fair Trading at enquiries@oft.gsi.gov.uk.
Posted in Complaints, Consumer legal, debt May 21st, 2009 | 65 Comments

feral trolley of the week
Whatever happened to smashing someones door in and taking the money, or bashing their kneecaps until they gave you their granny as part-payment.
My how times have changed….
08 numbers are not premium rate.
0870 numbers generate profit for the companies using them. They’re not included in free minute packages (BT is perhaps the only telecoms provider who do include them) and cost more than a standard national telephone call. In other words, they’re premium rate.
Wow a really useful article on BW , Whatever next
Most Paul Nikkel articles are useful, to the point and interesting.
Shame the other Paul can’t learn from him really.
superduper – Isn’t 0870 national rate? I think premium rate numbers are the 09xxxxx ones.
Maybe Paul Nikkel could ghostwrite on behalf of the others, just so they get some credit for having credible articles in their portfolio.
That’s right. No 08 numbers are premium rate.
Great article, I receive similar letters from Tower’s investigation. I figured if I did owe any money then they would at least phone me. I will shop them to the authorities should I see another threat.
[...] I dont know what to do! The Scottish Bureau of Investigation: Gone fishing – the Lewis Group’s debt collection techniques | BitterWallet Gutter Tactics! [...]
I’ve been checking your blog for a while now, seems like everyday I learn something new
Thanks
Tr
Schönes Blog. Das Theme gefällt sehr gut, wo kann ich das denn downloaden?
Happy New year and keep up the good work! From all the staff at sexy-tv.info Hope you all have a great new year
How big is Anguilla?
This is a great thought. I am sure there are many good benefits in quitting smoking. Quit Smoking
I recently had a wall mounted beer bottle opener put in my kitchen. While I am not ready to give up my old bottle opener. In any case, it’s very nice having it as a backup in case I lose my keychain opener.
With the upcoming health care legislation I expect the health care industry to revolt.
I hear what you are suggesting here but I cant totally agree with you 100% on this information. Id be more inclined to take the conservative approach myselfBest Registry Cleaners
Has anyone seen the new way to make money with youtube? They make 200 videos for you, and guarentee you at least 20,000 views for your business. Check it out: http://budurl.com/feps
I have been reading the articles on this site for sometime. This is my first comment. Your blog has been very useful for me and it provides very good content.
Good post..keep up posting this…
I love getting great deals on different things. I visit slickdeals and spoofee on a consistent basis and have gotten some pretty slick deals :O)
Interesting read, possibly the best post iv’e browse today. We learn everyday cheers to you!
Je pensais à ton design, est il personnalisé ? Il est bien.
Je pensais à ton theme, est il personnalisé ? Il est bien.
Thank you for this informative post. I have tried lots of different wine openers throughout the years. I have tried from original which is hard to operate to automatic, which would be good if it woudn’t need batteries changed so often. I think the best choice would be Houdini Wine Opener. Corkscrews are removed just in fewtwists. Don’t believe me?. You can dig deeper and see for yourself.
Owning a pet cat or any pet for example can add years to your life. Most certainly into your ripe old age I guess. A research I found somewhere.
What consequence, if any, do pets have on older adults? Can a furry good friend inside the house counteract the feelings of lonliness and reduced blood pressure?
Hello, awesome website. All of the topics you posted on were very interesting. I tried to add in your RSS feed to my news reader and it a couple of.
Good post, well put together. Thanks. I will be back soon to check out for updates. Cheers
that awesome
http://jemimakiss.com/?p=729
Fishing season is coming up! Love reading all aspects of it… Thanks for keeping us updated, great read!
Hello! Are you interested in watching online movies in High-Definition for free ? How about if I tell you that you can also download it for free ? Isn`t that great ?
I truly loved reading your blog. It was very well authored and simple to undertand. Unlike additional blogs I have read. I also found it very interesting. In fact after reading, I had to go show the better half and she ejoyed it also!
Love the blog, I’ll be back again soon.
Come visit my site woodworking machinery
well, After reading you site,Your site is very useful for me .I bookmarked your site!
We loved your writing, please do keep it up!
Ouch walking into a door has got to hurt
Interesting article. Seems that the french web guys love it
Sometimes the comments I get on my posts are more insightful than the post itself! You don’t seem to have this problem.
Hello dear Mr. Jae- Ho. noh Good day to you. Now the BFA its a little shortage , also the price its change continuously , due to power supply price and demand for it its increase. for shot time and moment market price :
Fantastic!
You want nice gay mobile porn, come to the site. I found the article on your site, and after signing up i agree. You are right, its the best gay mobile phone porn i have seen, and it works excellent on my iphone. Thanks again for showing me that mobile site.
Hey, I think your blog is good
I’m skeptical that Big Red is joining the Big 10. Nextyear promises to be thrilling. Can’t wait!
I’m skeptical that the Huskers is joining the Big 10. Nextyear promises to be challenging for the competition. Wow!
Informative article, I am a big time fan of your site, keep up the informative work, and I will be a frequent visitor for a very long time.
I’m impressed that the Huskers is joining the Big 10. This upcoming year promises to be challenging for the competition. Go Big Red!
I follow threads and blogs.Love to post and comments.There are lot of stuff of me and hoping to receive as well from you.
Is there anything more anyone can say?
Super Artikel. Viel besser jedoch …. Interessant ist dies beonders für Frauen. Damit die Frau wieder spass im bett hat
Experiment with new clothes and styles should be in moderation. Select clothes that have proper cuts and fittings.
Styling Tips for Petite Women – Tops with nice knitted texture, laces, small floral prints and plaids should be given preference.
Nice post. But, your design doesn’t render as it should on this system. You might investigate that. Are you using external CSS style sheets?
I officially can’t hold out for this smart phone, just 2 days remaining and I simply hope I could get my hands on one,. I have been reading a lot about the Android two.2 update that can come in August, simply another reason to be psyched about this excellent phone. Motorola and Verizon say they will update the phone to Android 2.2 “late summer.” It will certainly be an over-the-air update. However out-of-the box on its July 15 launch it will probably have Android 2.1.
Hi, I’m a webmaster in Paris. Just wanted to tell you I thought your blog was cool. Thanks for updating it!
Thanks for your sharing, well done.
thanks for your article i have put it in my blog too
Corporate Clothing is a must for anyone wanting to make the correct statement when visiting a client. This statement could quite easily be the differance betweeen you and someone else getting the deal.
The thing about corporatewear is that most people think you always have to be suited up all the time, which you don’t. You can look just as great whilst still looking the part with whats known as the Australian look. Smart trousers, a smart shirt with no tie… pleae make a note of that those people who are tiephobic. One of the biggest impressions to to make sure you have a nice hair cut and please make sure your finger nails are clean and do not look like they have been chewed by a dog.
Cool stuff here!
I have enjoyed reading your blog. On a similar subject, I also found the first article in this blog to be rather intriguing:
‘Does Age Matter in Football’.