Company registered at my address fraudulently

HungryHippos

HungryHippos

HungryHippos

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Joined
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I sometimes get random stuff in the post which has nothing to do with me, the address is mine but the named recipient is typically random (and never the same name twice).

That has been true until today, when I've received:
  1. A letter from Companies House welcoming me to my newly setup company. In this case it's someone of Pakistani origin who is named as the director, and my address is used, so it's not full identify theft.
  2. A business account creation letter from ANNA, to the same named recipient in 1.
From researching it, this seems to be a common scam where anyone can create a new Company for £12 and 20 minutes online, and any address can be used, Companies House have no mandate to validate identity and won't remove it without making you fill out physical forms. Often the £12 is paid on a stolen card as well so to the fraudster, it's usually free.

These details are then used to get credit with various banks or credit card companies, who use the just created account to verify the details match up. Utter madness!

As this is an officially registered company I need to take it a little more seriously.

Reading online, it seems like I need to:
  1. Log an issue with Action Fraud Online, I did sign up but can't see a related "someone has fraudulently used my address" issue type. I may call them tomorrow, doing this I should get an AF number, but from what I can tell, they won't otherwise do anything with my report, it's just cover in case this business gets credit, I will have a logged report.
  2. Fill out forms: RP07 and RP02a based on guidance in https://www.gov.uk/guidance/report-a-company-using-your-personal-details-without-your-permission.
Anyone else had this? any other things worth considering?

Filling out the forms is an annoyance because I lack a printer, so I'll need to try and print them when I go into the office later this week. I read the laws are changing and Companies House should hopefully be required to validate identity in the near future, but until then this seems like an issue that anyone could fall victim to.
 
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You could poo through their letterbox but Oh!

Sorry for that but it is a thing here and so is your problem it seems. You appear to be doing all that is required. Their name is sufficiently bland as to not be Googled? Quite often these are serial offences by the same individual.
 
It is madness that companies house don't require some sort of evidence (passport/driving license) to register a business at an address.

The problem being that if the company defaults and someone takes them to court then you'll end up with HCEOs at your door, and it'll be a nuisance/nightmare trying to convince them that you're nothing to do with the business.
 
doodah said:
I might set one up in the name of Nu*** Patel....
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Haha ah Patel, what a character he was :cry:



Edit: I appear to have angered many for some reason hahaha I don't get it, just throw it in the bin. What's gonna happen? I've thrown dozens away from my properties, not one single issue. Don't stress, chill x
 
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Happened to me earlier this year.
Alerted Barclays when on holiday and the berks cancelled my card and left me away, with no money.

Got it sorted in the end, sorted with Action Fraud and compo from Barclays.

Quite common according to the berks that cancelled my card and I suspect my details were lifted from Ebay sales in the London area, during COVID.
 
Semple said:
It is madness that companies house don't require some sort of evidence (passport/driving license) to register a business at an address.

The problem being that if the company defaults and someone takes them to court then you'll end up with HCEOs at your door, and it'll be a nuisance/nightmare trying to convince them that you're nothing to do with the business.
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Yup fully agree, will do what I can to stop it before it gets to that stage, but having read some stories like the one linked above, it looks like you can have multiple companies registered to your address, so many that trying to stop them would be like playing a bad game of whack-a-mole.

Hagar said:
Their name is sufficiently bland as to not be Googled?
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if I google it I do get a website named after a similar thing, but it's a US based organisation it looks like, so probably just a made up name or they've stolen the name as well.
 
Is there anything than can be done to protect yourself via the credit reference agencies like Experian and Equifax ? Your address is being used, so credit being taken from your address (but not in your name) should trigger alerts. I'm not sure of the process to inform them though and looking on the websites it seems like they're pushing to sell you credit protection instead of helping !
 
peterwalkley said:
Is there anything than can be done to protect yourself via the credit reference agencies like Experian and Equifax ? Your address is being used, so credit being taken from your address (but not in your name) should trigger alerts. I'm not sure of the process to inform them though and looking on the websites it seems like they're pushing to sell you credit protection instead of helping !
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I don't know on this one, as it's not in my name it wouldn't be on my credit file (two different people living at the same address would each have their own credit file).

Would be nice if you could block companies being registered at an address though!
 
NVP said:
Haha ah Patel, what a character he was :cry:



Edit: I appear to have angered many for some reason hahaha I don't get it, just throw it in the bin. What's gonna happen? I've thrown dozens away from my properties, not one single issue. Don't stress, chill x
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Interestingly, I had something similar happen many years but whenever I receive a letter not addressed to me, I simply write on the envelope "Not known at this address" and stick it in post box. I never accept packages not addressed to me.
 
An actual registered company can lead to debt being taken out at your address for the fake company, I think ignoring it isn't good advice.

For most random mail you get it can be ignored, but an actual legal construct using your address is another game altogether.
 
darkgen said:
Interestingly, I had something similar happen many years but whenever I receive a letter not addressed to me, I simply write on the envelope "Not known at this address" and stick it in post box. I never accept packages not addressed to me.
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Probably the better approach, I'm just lazy.


HungryHippos said:
An actual registered company can lead to debt being taken out at your address for the fake company, I think ignoring it isn't good advice.
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And? It's not your debt, so not your problem.
 
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HungryHippos said:
An actual registered company can lead to debt being taken out at your address for the fake company, I think ignoring it isn't good advice.

For most random mail you get it can be ignored, but an actual legal construct using your address is another game altogether.
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How did you know it was a "legal construct"? You may have invited legal jeopardy by opening the letter not addressed to you.
 
darkgen said:
How did you know it was a "legal construct"? You may have invited legal jeopardy by opening the letter not addressed to you.
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As I understand it, it's not illegal to open mail sent to my address, common misconception here I think?

I am the only one who lives here so I will just default to the stance that I'll open everything sent to me without reading the recipient, especially if it helps prevent my details being used for fraud.
 
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