Yes Drac, I’m afraid I’m only here searching for info on the “Fair and Honest Property Advice” data thief.

I don’t have a massive interest in pushbikes really, even though I live very near to the National Cycling Centre, and I am involved in bikesport albeit ones with engines.

Cheers!

Just checking given the subject matter that new members are legit

I don’t have a massive interest in pushbikes really

Technology has moved on massively, they have pedals these days! (-:

We received this message via email yesterday. I replied and haven’t yet received a response so I’ll post it here.

PLEASE TAKE THIS WITH A PINCH OF SALT AS IT’S AN UNVERIFIED SOURCE FROM A PUBLIC EMAIL ADDRESS:

Good evening

Ref: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/just-got-an-email-about-estates-and-management-unreasonable-fees-anyone-else

Please remove the above link. The person (Sarah Jane) is a hacker utilising a French spam marketing email to target thousands
Of UK residents. The emails on your Forum result in a malicious piece of spyware being sent and once downloaded create a kernel
Level exploit. I have seen similar exploits with eternal blue (I am a cyber penetration tester). I am requesting the removal to protect others. I don’t want PC users or android phone users emailing the email on the site as the exploit specifically targets those operating devices.

Regards

[redacted]
CISSP

I’m unsure at this juncture whether it’s a genuine warning or a request to take down the entire thread, which of course isn’t going to happen.

Sorry, should have said, I came across this thread when searching for info on the same unsolicited email that I received from E&M. Have a bike, but only use it occasionally to go to the local park…

Having a bike isn’t mandatory, but it’s encouraged. (I rode mine a couple of weeks back for the first time in about four years. My arse still hurts.)

“The emails on your Forum result in a malicious piece of spyware being sent and once downloaded create a kernel”

This doesn’t make any sense. The email has no attachments, nobody has been sent any attachments, and I can see no sign of any exploits in the HTML of the email sent. Perhaps an attachment might have been sent in reply to any contact with the sender, but seeing as people emailed and got no reply at all, that doesn’t sound very likely.

For the record, I can’t ride a bike. I’m sorry.

I’ve also received this from E&M today:
On 20th September, we became aware that email addresses from our database had been accessed by an unauthorised person(s). We are currently investigating the extent of the problem. At present we believe only email addresses have been compromised and we have received approximately 90 emails from leaseholders relating to this issue.

We have received emails from some of the homeowners affected speculating that E&M sells personal information to commercial third parties. Contrary to this speculation, we do not.

In the event that home owners are contacted again by any individuals or third parties offering to sell products or services relating to E&M we recommend you do not respond to it and inform E&M at communications@e-m.uk.com

We treat the security of all confidential data with the utmost seriousness. A thorough investigation is now underway and we have notified the Information Commissioner’s Office and the police.

We thank you for your understanding.

Operations Team

Nicely, thanks for the info.

This doesn’t make any sense. The email has no attachments, nobody has been sent any attachments, and I can see no sign of any exploits in the HTML of the email sent. Perhaps an attachment might have been sent in reply to any contact with the sender, but seeing as people emailed and got no reply at all, that doesn’t sound very likely.

Indeed.

Hi much the same as itf56 trying to get to the bottom of what is going on with this email about E&M.

I do have a bike that I use a couple of times a week though 🙂

Received this from E&M 21st September:

On 20th September, we became aware that email addresses from our database had been accessed by an unauthorised person(s). We are currently investigating the extent of the problem. At present we believe only email addresses have been compromised.

We have received emails from some of the homeowners affected speculating that E&M sells personal information to commercial third parties. Contrary to this speculation, we do not.

In the event that home owners are contacted again by any individuals or third parties offering to sell products or services relating to E&M we recommend you do not respond to it and inform E&M at communications@e-m.uk.com

We treat the security of all confidential data with the utmost seriousness. A thorough investigation is now underway and we have notified the Information Commissioner’s Office and the police.

We thank you for your understanding.

Operations Team

cid:image001.jpg@01CFCCDD.09A264B0
For and on behalf of Estates & Management Ltd
Molteno House, 302 Regents Park Road, London N3 2JX
http://www.e-m.uk.com

Switchboard: +44 (0)20 8371 2800

Anyone actually quite keen for abcd to get in to bikes now as a result of their stumbling across the forum?

Apologies if this this is the same link posted earlier – I couldn’t open it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-38827661

Listened to a prog on R4 earlier in the year and was astounded that the practice is legal.

On a par with the developers who make a deal with broadband providers, leaving first time buyers stuck with shite broadband. Also legal, also shoddy.

This is currently the situation I am awaiting information on – I am a new homeowner who is one of millions now hoodwinked into this leasehold shitstorm. Our ground rent (not including a separate estates management charge) is £250 per year and as I understand it, tied to the RPI. Sadly not £2.50 as the OP states in his suspicious email hunt.. very interesting read.

Suffice to say my wife and I now know more about the ground rent we pay and as mentioned there is a government inquiry looking to ban the practice. It remains to be seen what will happen to our, and all out Neighbours rents. I’m in the NW of England, apparently a hot bed of unscrupulous practices with conveyencing.

I almost started a thread about this (don’t know if there has been one) as it’s caused my wife and I a ton of worry- ultimately looking a a house that we may potentially not be able to sell given the ground rent situation. The industry itself and associated conveyencers have conceded this a problem of the order of the PPI scandal. This is affecting millions of first time buyers.

A quick google throws up numerous Conveyencing advice forums and articles, all of which offer advice to those ‘professionals’ who may well be inline for legal action by disgruntled first time buyers. Nice eh.

Hi, just joined the forum having picked up on the thread about E&M through various links.
Joined in for 2 reasons:
1. I too received the dodgy looking email from Sarah Lane,probably because I’m a landlord and have dealings with E&M. Thought I’d better have my say before the moderator brings an end to this thread. I haven’t as yet received the E&M email outlining what appears to be a breach in their Data Protection. I originally thought it could be someone with a real axe to grind against E&M.
2. Second reason for joining is that I am in fact a cyclist. Road cycling / sportives being my preference. Rode the Birmingham Velo on Sunday. I guess there’s another thread somewhere on that, so I’ll go and find it. But my general feedback here for what it’s worth – 35 minute start delay without explanation or comms; chaos at food stations. I passed on the 20 miler having learned from the Cardiff Velo, only to find they’d run out of food at the 55 miler. Course was ok, just a few log jams here and there. Good support from marshalls etc.

Update: I shopped them to the information commissions office. I got a reply. They’ll basically do nothing and probably filed my report in the bin. Might be worth several people complaining to see if they respond to a volume of complaints.

casework@ico.org.uk

We are writing to you regarding the data protection concern you have raised with us concerning Estates & Management Ltd and the way it handles personal data.

Role of the ICO

Our role is to ensure that organisations follow the Data Protection Act 1998 properly. If things go wrong we will provide advice and ask the organisation to try to put things right. Our overall aim is to improve the way organisations handle personal information.

Your concern

You have written to us because you are unhappy that Estates & Management Ltd has not held your data securely. That has led to your personal information being inappropriately accessed by a third party.

Our decision

It would appear that Estates & Management Ltd has breached the Data Protection Act. This is because they have failed to hold your data securely in line with principle 7 of the DPA.

Although it would appear that the organisation has breached the DPA, we would not deem it appropriate to pursue any further regulatory action at this stage.

Although we do not intend to take any further regulatory action on this case, this will remain on our systems to help us build a picture of Estates & Management Ltd’s information rights handling.

We will continue to monitor Estates & Management Ltd’s data protection practices, and should any regulatory action be taken against Estates & Management Ltd in the future, your case may form a part of our intelligence against them. You can view any regulatory action we do take on our website, using the following link: https://ico.org.uk/action-weve-taken/

Feedback about our service

If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received, or would like to provide us with feedback of any kind, please let me know.

Yours sincerely,

Benjamin Brady
Lead Case Officer
Information Commissioner’s Office
01625 545 213

powerful regulations there 😕