Police Finally Investigate Wonga

[mikey4444]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-28057143

Not sure why they haven't stepped in before. Impersonating a solicitor is a very serious offence.

"An investigation by the regulator found that Wonga sent letters to customers from fake law firms called "Chainey, D'Amato & Shannon" and "Barker and Lowe Legal Recoveries", sometimes charging customers a fee for these letters.

The plan was to make customers in arrears believe that their outstanding debt had been passed to a law firm, with legal action threatened if the debt was not paid"

How much longer are firms like this going to be tolerated by the Government ? It now appears that they guilty of criminal behaviour, like fraud, as well as acting like shysters.

[DrFilth]

it is a pity the police don't look at the letters the bbc send out to people with no licence as i have just had the what to expect in court again as a hearing is being set for me

[mikey4444]

Sorry about your woes with the Beeb DrF. Do you not have a licence or you have one and the Beeb can't find it ? Tell us more please ! (genuinely interested Dr F ! )

Not sure how is germane to a fraudulent money lending firm, with, at the very least, sharp business tactics, that prey on vulnerable people, like Wonga though.

[DrFilth]

don't watch telly mikey

[mikey4444]

Its a bit complicated this Dr F, because we can now watch the telly live on our PCs. So I am guessing that the TV Licencing people don't believe you when you state that you don't watch live TV in any way ? But wouldn't they have to prove that you do before taking action against you ? Not sure what you are being hauled into Court for ?

Sorry...don't want to pry into your personal affairs but this is intriguing !

[DrFilth]

mikey you may watch catch up tv legally on your computer but not live tv

i use a dongle so if and that would be a very big IF decided to watch some show it would cheaper to get a licence than pay for credit to my dongle

[DrFilth]

sorry that should have said > be cheaper

[Svejk]

you're like a dog with a bone, mike. Did you have a bad, personal experience? Hundreds of thousands of people must find pay-day lenders provide a useful, trouble free service. Perhaps if everybody paid what they've agreed to pay they'd have nothing to keep whinging about. Would you like Wonga etc. to hand out free money to needy people?
I'm pretty sure that faux solicitors' letters/ court proceedings are standard practise amongst most firms in this country. Again, if people paid what they owe on time they wouldn't get them.

[grasscarp]

Did you hear about the man who asked to borrow a pen in a.wonga office. They said he could but they wanted 15 pens back by the next week.

[DrFilth]

grasscarp :-)

[excelsior-1]

i note that since the story broke, there have not been any wonga adverts on the tv

[mikey4444]

As I understand it TV Catch IS live. I use it sometimes in the small wee hours, on my 7 inch Tablet, when I can't get to sleep. I am not sure why they use the phase "catch up" as it implies that it broadcasts repeats only, which isn't the case. I have tried it this morning and apart from the very annoying adverts, it works fine.

I have also just tried watching live TV via the BBC News Website :::

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/live/bbcone.

and it works perfectly. I presume that I can watch ITV and others in the same way. In fact, in my personal case, I could probably get rid of my Samsung 37 inch TV, although I like watching wildlife programs on it.

So... still a bit puzzled. If you view live TV in any way on the 'net, then you appear to need a TV Licence. Curiouser and curiouser !

[DrFilth]

if the programme is live on bbc iplayer a pop up box opens and it asks have you got a licence

[mikey4444]

Svejk.....are you saying that WONGA should not be investigated by the Police for fraud ?

"The Law Society has now called on police to look at whether the company committed an offence of obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception and blackmail, as well as offences under the Solicitors Act"

Are you really saying that they should immune from the same law as everybody else ?

"I'm pretty sure that faux solicitors' letters/ court proceedings are standard practise amongst most firms in this country"

This is serious allegation Svejk. Do you have evidence of this or is has somebody told you this in one of your Pubs ? If you do have real evidence, I am sure the Police would be keen to know more !

[mikey4444]

Still not clear why you are being taken to Court but you don't seem to want to tell me, which is fine of course...just curious !

[mikey4444]

grasscarp...LOL !

[DrFilth]

mikey i am not going to court it is a scam letter the bbc send to people with no licence they send it to provoke a response

one lady near me got the same letter at the start of the month and was worried sick

[mikey4444]

Ah...I understand...you should have said this in the first place. If what you say is true, then the practise is not clearly right. Can you scan that letter, leaving out personal data and post it on here ? Or give us the text yourself ? I would be interested in the exact wording, as I find it amazing that the BBC would use the same tactics as fraudulent firms like WONGA.

[DrFilth]

i would need about 4 months and a roll of tape as mine went straight in the shredder :-)

they are online i will have a look

[DrFilth]

this is the same letter but i do not want to watch all the video clip as it will just burn my credit

you will understand the letter from the first minute of the video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwjfXVdV9x0

[Svejk]

its no surprise, to me anyway, that the law society don't want unqualified people muscling in on their money for old rope business.
I've recently received several 'solicitors' letters from British Gas threatening me with all manner of dreadful, and I'm sure illegal, consequences if I didn't send money in 3/5/7 days. if they were real solicitors either they weren't acquainted with the law or perhaps hoped I wasn't.
And before you ask, I was paying Scottish Power by Direct Debit for my gas before BG came up with the novel wheeze that I pay them for the same gas. Hence my reluctance to send money to their real or imagined solicitors.