Identity Theft a Growing Problem for UK Landlords

UK landlords are being warned that identity theft is a growing problem; and one which they need to not only be aware of, but also take steps to protect themselves from.

It is believed that up to 4 million people have so far become victims.

Location Location Location

Official figures show that there are certain locations in the UK where the number of attempts of identity theft are higher than others. Overall, the top spot is East Ham in London which shows approximately 7 more attempts than the national average.

However, also in the capital are problem areas Romford, Bexleyhead, Woolwich, Cheapside, Stratford, Ilford, Walthamstow, Lewisham and Enfield.

Outside of London, problem areas include Altrincham in Cheshire which receives three times the national average for attempts of identity theft, with approximately 13 attempts per 10,000 adults.

Landlords

Landlords are being warned to be on their guard over the increasing number of tenants who might try to take their identity.

Baglores Property Group which operates from Essex have seen a number of instances of fraudulent tenants using properties for nefarious purposes. Howard Lester, the Director says, ‘Many use the property as a PO box for the delivery of goods they have bought on stolen credit cards. They are very savvy and know they can live in a property for up to six months before a landlord possession order is enforced. In that time, they can run up thousands of pounds in credit card debt and of course rental arrears,' he explained.

The company highlight the case of Brian Kiddell, a tenant, attempted to sell the property whilst posing as the owner of the property.

His landlord was alerted as he drove past the property and was shocked to see a for sale sign. However, by that point it was too late. Mr Kiddell had sold the property online and made off with £80,000 in profits.

When the case was taken to court, it emerged that Mr Kiddell had used two aliases, one to rent the property, which he had stolen from a man who died in 2004, and a further false name to sell the property. Mr Kiddell was jailed for 6 years after admitting nine offences of fraud, theft and the dishonest use of a dead man's name. He had previous convictions for similar offences.

Finance Fraud

Mr Lester of Baglores commented, "This is an extreme and rare case. However, there are a lot of professional fraudsters out there that want to rent a property purely to secure an address from which they can carry out finance fraud."

As a result of the growing problem, landlords are being warned to take steps to protect themselves and their property by ensuring that they carry out full and proper identity checks. The problem of course is that many of the fraudsters carry very realistic looking identification, including stolen passports and this can make it extremely difficult.

However, checking the passport details with the relevant authorities will soon unveil any problem such as a theft of the use of a fake.

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