In November 2025, BBC One Watchdog (featured on The One Show) investigated reports of energy companies pursuing individuals for debts they did not owe.
As part of this investigation, our founder Mark Donnison was interviewed at length to provide expert advice on best practices for tracing individuals around the world.
The key guidance provided to the Watchdog team included:
Ensuring Accurate Location: The primary focus was on procedures to ensure that the correct individual is identified before pursuing a debt, avoiding cases where people are targeted for debts incurred by others.
Discussion of Pitfalls: The segment highlighted the potential risks and "pitfalls" of current industry practices, such as "allegedly" pursuing the wrong people due to flawed CRM data or inadequate tracing steps.
Best Practice Procedures: Mark advised on professional standards for tracing to maintain accuracy, including:
- substantiating all information provided by the client;
- ensuring the integrity of data systems relied upon and the understanding of how that data is cleansed;
- full consideration of the intelligence picture during each stage of the tracing process, reviewing intelligence gaps and implementing the correct next steps;
- transparency in reporting so clients are fully aware of correct the reliance on intelligence.
Mark's expert advice was used to prepare an official Watchdog response.