WHEN Malena Persson began receiving emails and text messages from an energy company she had never heard of, she at first assumed it was a scam attempt.
But the arts venue manager was horrified to learn she was being chased for £3400 of debt after her name had been added to an account without her knowing – at an address where she had never lived.
Even after complaints to the Utilita firm which sent the bill, the messages continued to be sent – and she was given no explanation of why it had been issued.
Persson said she has been trying to resolve the issue ever since without success, and not knowing who may have given her details out has brought back the trauma of being stalked online a few years ago, “It brought back very unpleasant memories from the past and forced me to revisit pain that I thought was behind me,” she said.
“I am absolutely appalled that this could happen so easily in this day and age.”
Persson, 43, who lives in Edinburgh, said she initially deleted emails and text messages from Utilita, thinking it was a scam attempt.
One day she noticed a reference to her “home” with a flat number and a postcode and decided to look into it further.
She discovered Utilita was an energy company and that she appeared to have an active account with them for an address where she had never lived.
The firm wanted her to get in touch to explain why she could not pay her bill.
Persson said she attempted to get in touch with the firm to find out what was happening – but failed to get an answer, including one customer support agent saying they could not help unless she was on the property and gave a meter reading.
She was then contacted on social media by a resident of the flat who had received a bill in her name and forwarded the details to her.
“I was shocked to see my name on a bill with his address and a huge £3400 debt,” she said.
Persson filed an official complaint with Utilita via their website but decided to pay a visit in person after finding out there was a shop nearby.
She said a manager and staff member looked into the issue and found it dated back to May 2020, when someone had added her name to an existing account using her name, phone number and email address.
“It appeared that the person had stated that I was in the property,” she said.
“What was absolutely mind-boggling was that this person had also somehow managed to get Utilita to backdate my name on the address and the account to 2018.
“This backdate was the reason the debt was so high in my name, the staff told me.”
A spokesperson for Utilita said: “We would like to thank the Sunday National for bringing this to our attention.
“Following an extensive investigation, we can confirm the incorrect information was provided to Utilita by a third-party letting agency. This was accepted in good faith.
“The messages Ms P has since received were automatically generated due to her details being in our system.
“We have acted swiftly and the bill in Ms P’s name has been cancelled. She does not owe Utilita any money.
“We are glad to put the record straight.”
