We hear there are scams involving notification. How can we tell if the correspondence we have received is genuine?

You hear right: there have been several lucrative scams involving bogus notification enforcement authorities demanding money in return for submitting applications to notify. The Office of the Information Commissioner is based at Wycliff House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF. Take a look at their website (www.ico.gov.uk) for the latest information on scams, or ring the data protection advice line (0845 630 6060, or 01625 545 745) if you want to check out any official-looking documents. Or alternatively, ring your legal adviser and check, first, whether the demand is from a genuine source, and secondly, whether you should actually have notified anyway.