eBay

rhyobrie2 · ‎04-02-2024

Im using my non-business account to post this one, but please be careful, sole traders. I recived spam mail the other day mentioning a business at my address. I found out later that day that, according to the company house, there is now a Pakistani registered to my address with a LTD company with the exact same name as my sole trader name. I have been receiving letters from the company house with the log-in details and lots of spam mail trying to get this Muhammad person to open up a bank account with them. I have contacted companies House, Action Fraud, eBay, and my bank, spending multiple hours on the phone at all these places only to be told they can move his address and hopefully it might dissolve, but I doubt it. The only place my information was public was on my eBay profile, so these people must be checking out UK sellers and doing the same with them. Now that my home is now on companies house, multiple websites now display the information, and my house is now lit up like a Christmas tree on Google Maps.

You can set up a dormant LTD company to avoid this, even though I might lose the brand I have been working on building since 2021. Hopefully, this might help someone else and avoid this situation for them.

dougbat20 · ‎05-02-2024

@rhyobrie2 wrote:
Im using my non-business account to post this one, but please be careful, sole traders. I recived spam mail the other day mentioning a business at my address. I found out later that day that, according to the company house, there is now a Pakistani registered to my address with a LTD company with the exact same name as my sole trader name. I have been receiving letters from the company house with the log-in details and lots of spam mail trying to get this Muhammad person to open up a bank account with them. I have contacted companies House, Action Fraud, eBay, and my bank, spending multiple hours on the phone at all these places only to be told they can move his address and hopefully it might dissolve, but I doubt it. The only place my information was public was on my eBay profile, so these people must be checking out UK sellers and doing the same with them. Now that my home is now on companies house, multiple websites now display the information, and my house is now lit up like a Christmas tree on Google Maps.

You can set up a dormant LTD company to avoid this, even though I might lose the brand I have been working on building since 2021. Hopefully, this might help someone else and avoid this situation for them.

And this, ladies and gentlemen (and eveyone else) is why I never suggest putting your own residential address public on the internet for all to see!

If you sign up for a business account on eBay, is there any address that you can use that is not your address? Like a works address or similar? Or a storage unit, if you rent one out? Or (if you own one) a bricks & mortar business address?

I don't know too much about business stuff (so can't advise regarding limited companies etc) but even so, that would be way way better than lighting up your residential address for all to see!

*vyolla* · ‎05-02-2024

@rhyobrie2 wrote:

The only place my information was public was on my eBay profile, so these people must be checking out UK sellers and doing the same with them.

Thanks for highlighting this.

As well as details being gleaned from eBay business accounts thousands of new bogus companies are set up at random residental addresses each day, I did post a screenshot on another thread featuring 50 companies that had been set up in just one post code area, one resident is the unknowing owner of 30 companies set up in Morocco.

I suspect some kind of tax or VAT fraud to be forthcoming.

With your permission I can message you with the Twitter ID of somebody you can contact about this.

cahic6632 · ‎05-02-2024

There's a BBC investigation you might be interested in at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0019z2g

Frightening stuff!

*vyolla* · ‎05-02-2024

It's so difficult to prove that it's not your debt as well, absolute nightmare.

simplyessential_uk · ‎05-02-2024

On reading this it certainly is worrying but if you are a sole trader and do not have any other business premises there isnt much else you can do - I did listen to the link attached by @cahic6632 which is interesting as it highlights the issue and not just for sole traders as they mention whole streets of people listed on companies house that werent self employed so basically anyones house can but registered whether they are online or not (which is a little more comforting) so I dont think you have had your details lifted from Ebay necessarily

rhyobrie2 · ‎05-02-2024

Luckily because it is my address it lets me go further against this person and take that company down. And no i have no other address I could link. Having a burner address might be a no go knowing what ebay is like.

rhyobrie2 · ‎05-02-2024

I will check that later when I have access to a BBC account, it does look like it was lifted from eBay it is the only place with my trader name and address on it. I found out over the last few days about lots of other people, crazy how they are allowed to do it. There is a form that can be filled out to get the company removed from the address and also hopefully the company dissolved with them using my address as much as it's a blag it clearly shows they are trying to impersonate my business giving me hopefully a better case against it. The process takes around 6 weeks I was told.

rhyobrie2 · ‎05-02-2024

Luckily it is under someone else's name and not my own so it's just hopefully getting the person removed from the address and the LTD company dissolved. Annoying but at least the authorities and some other places were notified. And I have reference numbers to back it in case something happens and have collected as much evidence as possible.

rhyobrie2 · ‎05-02-2024

Thank you for sharing that I heard about it being on the radio but did not realise it was saved. 🙂

cahic6632 · ‎06-02-2024

You're very welcome. Hope you manage to sort it out. It must be very frustrating!

simplyessential_uk · ‎06-02-2024

The process takes around 6 weeks I was told.

Yes heard that on the radio interview - That was 2022 and they wanted to tighten the law but it was shocking that someone can just set up a bogus business and then get access to lots of credit, not in your name but there is definitely a loop hole that they said in the interview needs plugging clearly now 2yrs on nothing has changed

dougbat20 · ‎11-02-2024

@rhyobrie2 wrote:
Luckily because it is my address it lets me go further against this person and take that company down. And no i have no other address I could link. Having a burner address might be a no go knowing what ebay is like.

Well hopefully you are able to get the company taken down and the problems resolved 🙂
And personally I'd rather risk the burner address as it is safer (regarding your own personal details) than having your own personal address up for anyone to see, and do whatever they want to with. Personal information can be a nightmare if in the wrong hands.