CSA AND ICO COMBINE TO LAUNCH NEW GUIDE TO TRACE

24/02/2010

Guide helps promote industry and protect consumers

A new guide to help consumers understand and respond to situations involving a ‘mis-trace’ – ie when they are mistaken for a genuine debtor with an identical or similar name – is now available.

Launched by the Credit Services Association (CSA), which represents the UK collections industry, and supported by the Information Commissioners Office (ICO), the guide gives consumers greater transparency of how the industry works, with frequently asked questions and examples of best practice.

With an estimated 70% of instructions to collect requiring a trace in 2009, and more than 15 million traces conducted in a 12-month period, the guide explains why agencies need to trace and the methods used by debt collectors to do so explains CSA President Roger Lucas: “In doing this, we can show why things can sometimes go wrong, and the actions the consumer can take in helping us to prevent it happening again.”

Jonathan Holbrook, Head of Data Protection Practice - Private Sector for the ICO said that whilst tracing is a legitimate and useful activity, it can occasionally cause anxiety to those who are mistakenly caught up in the trace process: “As tracing involves handling personal information, it must be done fairly and in compliance with the Data Protection Act,” he says.

“We welcome the CSA's initiative to de-mystify the tracing process, and to provide consumers with a guide to the way that reputable tracing agents go about their business, as well as information about what to do if things go wrong.”

The guide is the latest in a series of consumer advice guides explaining the workings of the debt collection industry. To download the factsheet visit – www.csa-uk.com