Company registered at my address fraudulently

[HungryHippos]

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.

 

[HungryHippos]

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.

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.

Their name is sufficiently bland as to not be Googled?

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.

 

[HungryHippos]

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 !

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!

 

[HungryHippos]

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.

 

[HungryHippos]

How did you know it was a "legal construct"? You may have invited legal jeopardy by opening the letter not addressed to you.

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.

 

[HungryHippos]

I get it. I'm now more curious how it could affect your credit rating, if debt is created by another named individual against the your property.

Unsure exactly myself but I think it's prudent to be seen to make some effort to not allow it, by reporting it and trying to remove the listing, I'll at least have some evidence to back up that I disagreed with it and tried to remove it, even if Companies House aren't that helpful.

I don't see how you'd solve this if you had 11'000 Chinese companies registered at your address though as per link above!

 

[HungryHippos]

So the new law to stop this issue came into action at the end of October, yet OP is still having to deal with it as though there was no new law.

I will query this one, not sure if it's enforced yet?

 

[HungryHippos]

Just log into CH website and change the registered address to something else e.g 10 downing street.

You can't do that I don't think, even if you can login (which I can't as they registered the username/email).

 

[HungryHippos]

In another episode, he often mentions how he reads mail that's not addressed to him

This isn't just a case of mixed up recipient addresses or spam though, I assume you'd be happy to have some random person using your address to register a company and then potentially commit fraud using it?

 

[HungryHippos]

As mentioned above companies house are going to have a big reform soon that'll make it far more difficult for this type of thing to happen, when the changes will come though is another question......

The guy I spoke with at Companies House reckons the identity validation stuff will be spring next year, but presumably a guess as they may not know.

But technically doesn't affect you.

As pointed out, none of this will get linked back to you personally, it won't affect your credit rating. Worst case you might get debt collectors turn up I'd say a quick flash of some I'd and say it's nothing to do with you, the person/company named is not there will do it.

If you write return to sender/does not live here or whatever on any correspondence.

It's pretty **** poor for whatever finance companies authorised any agreement at your address, but it is very much their problem not yours

Not necessarily taking proactive action isn't a bad idea either, but don't let it stress you.

Am not too concerned don't worry, just would prefer to proactively shut it down rather than ignoring it, I don't particularly want to have to flash my id to some debt collectors either if I can avoid it.

It's not illegal to open other people's mail as long as your not doing it for 'detriment' of the addressed person.
I open letters addressed to previous owner then contact the sender to tell them to stop sending stuff and/or tell them the addressee is fraudulently using their old address.

Correct, I knew the previous owners here, so if I see stuff addressed to them I just RTS it and pop it back in the post, they had the house from new, and I had it after them, so rules out the rest as being for previous tenants or w/e.

 

[HungryHippos]

I thought you'd find it funny that Karl Pilkington by fluke moved into a house without knowing that received mail addressed to Mr K Dilkington...
This wasn't a joke about your issue what so ever. It's just the first thing I think of when I read comments about opening other peoples mail

Ah sorry I misunderstood it, I am not that familiar with them/didn't watch any of their shows or anything.

I get it now, Dilkington being so similar, that has to be more than just a coincidence surely?

 

[HungryHippos]

Ah damn, the radio shows were legendary, how they got away with saying what they did including swearing on daytime radio was outstanding, and refreshing versus the crap you hear on 99% radio stations/along with the fake boring hosts

Yeah it's just the first thing the springs to my mind, as he doesn't seem to care about the law and often mentioned how he'd open other peoples mail on the basis that they shouldn't have sent it here should they! Haha!

From what I can tell, it's a common misconception, if it's landed through your letterbox you are allowed to open it, as long as your intent isn't malicious in doing so.

If I wind up with a letter for a neighbour I'll just hold it, doesn't really seem to happen often though. Get the odd parcel in for them.

If it's for previous owners, I RTS it as I know who they are.

Anything else I think is relatively fair game for opening

 

[HungryHippos]

For both of the letters received, I would return them saying "Not at this Address".

Maybe there is also an ombudsman that you can make a complaint to, if Companies House do not resolve it satisfactorily.

I'll follow the process and see, will update here a bit later on as to how it's going

RTS is fine but I very much doubt they'll actually do anything with it, if Companies House won't take action without a form (when you tell them it's an error), then an RTS returned letter is not going to set them to taking action for certain.

 

[HungryHippos]

I had an old building firm registered to my home address and was showing up on Google maps. Took them 2 years and about 10 reports with photos to prove it.
Bloody annoying. No further implications.

FML it still shows up on parasitic advertising 3rd party local crap websites

I have a couple of pinned places basically on my house but they've just put in random street names and my postcode, which is shared.

This new one doesn't seem to be appearing on google maps at least.

 

[HungryHippos]

I think it's less effort to try and solve it than deal with potential debt collectors or other issues, as well as receiving all of the mail that is directed at the fake company. But in this scenario, I think you can treat it how you want to.

I've done the following:

• Logged an issue with Action Fraud, they won't do anything with this, it just gives you a reference number to use.
• Filed forms RP02a and RP07 with Companies House against the company name/number. You can file these online I found.
• Followed up with Companies House enquiries@ email address to ask them to pick it up and deal with it using the references I got back from the two submissions above.

 

[HungryHippos]

Less effort than putting it in the bin and making a cuppa? OK, sure.

I'm working today just done bits between work bits, not taken up really much extra time beyond time I'm working anyway.

Simples.

 

[HungryHippos]

In case anyone is interested, I do have an update for this.

The RP07 form was set in motion pretty quickly, this is for changing the primary address of the company, this was processed by Companies House on 05/12/2023. They have to wait for 28 days for any potential response + 7 days for postal delays before they'll action the request.

This was completed on 17/01/2024 so the main address for the company is no longer mine. The address has changed to a Companies House default one.

The RP02A form, they were at least a month behind real time on processing these, this is for changing the address of the listed director. They confirmed this was started on 18/01/2024 and has the same wait time as the previous, so 28 days + 7 days for postal delays.

Hopefully in a month and a bit this problem will be solved.

Companies House have published guidance to state they will pursue identity verification both for new companies and for existing ones from 4th of March 2024: https://changestoukcompanylaw.campaign.gov.uk/changes-at-a-glance/

They haven't said what they'll do for ones that don't/can't complete verification, but this may solve a lot of pre-existing company registrations that people aren't aware of as part of this change.

 

[HungryHippos]

I hope it stops the fraudsters from being able to register companies so easily .... in 2 years I have had 2 Companies opened in my name, address etc, car insurance & credit cards also obtained & no one is interested as it isn't a crime until they steal something from me ---- apparently, getting car insurance in my name/address isn't fraud. I give up. At my age, I shouldn't have to spends days every month ringing the 15-20 'new search' companies that come up on my credit report (for which I have to pay £15pm) in the hope of stopping/cancelling new insurance policies, credit cards etc. Even DVLA told me politely to forget it!!!! Ironically, as ex-military, I have always been OTT re security .... passwords would need an Enigma machine to crack, burn all named/addressed envelopes etc. Hope they get hit by a bus!

Your situation sounds worse than mine to be fair, if they're registering things in your name and address then it sounds like this is is more full on identity fraud, so far the things I've received at my address are all not addressed to me, including this company that was setup.

 

[HungryHippos]

It does seem like a major issue that a company can register itself in your address without sending a confirmation letter to the address with a URL confirmation, plus having the owner confirm their address in UK address.
Simple mail that enables a quick “no it was not me that requested a company at this address” URL would have helped speed up the process.

The way that Companies House has been doing this is by simply believing by default all applications, without any mandate to do anything else, they've not bothered to add a single validation into the registration process. This must create a lot of work for them as well, so not sure why they've felt this was fine all this time!

I think the idea is that it's cheap/quick/easy to setup a new company for anyone who wants to, whilst in theory this is a good thing, in practice this is something that has been abused by scammers to setup fake companies at random addresses.

Applications cost £12 but presumably stolen cards are used to pay for the applications.

I can see that my address is not alone in this, others have been hit by similar things on my street, one even had 5 companies registered there since the start of 2023.

Your idea for even the most basic "thing you have to receive to complete registration" would probably have cut out a lot of these bogus applications, though not all of them I'm sure. Hopefully this does improve with the new legislation.

In general it would be good for there to be more account controls in place as well for any account creation, example above being the case if your identity is being targeted, because nothing really stops people taking out services in your name if they have your actual details.

 

[HungryHippos]

Weirdly in the UK you don't have to prove you live at an address to set a company up there. Why they still haven't changed that who knows :/

Apparently is and will be validated after April this year, but it's slow moving bureaucracy. They said they'd be checking ID for existing ones as well, but with a grace period, so a lot of these issues may get cleared up by default.

The current process to setup a fake company is very simple, but the process to remove it is very long winded and difficult by compare.