Fears over Government website ID fraud

By This Is Money
Updated:

 

Concern that criminals could use personal financial data from a Government website to commit ID frauds was aired today.

For a small fee, the Land Registry will allow anyone using its site to access details including which lender a homeowner has a mortgage with and even a copy of their signature.

Experts said it could provide useful details for those trying to steal a customer's identity, although the Land Registry said it had no evidence of any crime being committed as a result of information it gave out.

A link on the home page of the Land Registry's website advertises how users can download information on 'the house you're buying' for £3.

It continues: 'Find out what land is included, ownership, price paid and more.'

Not all homeowners have sensitive details listed, but some may have addition documents with their lender which could have their mortgage account number, size of mortgage and name of lender documented.

James Jones, consumer affairs manager from credit reference agency Experian, said the information could help fraudsters build up a picture of a potential victim's financial identity.

He said: 'It is very, very sensitive. If you know the name of someone, the mortgage lender and their account number, that is several building blocks to stealing someone's identity.

'It certainly has to be a concern.'

As such it could help criminals trying to put together an ID 'jigsaw' in a bid to commit frauds, he said.

Mr Jones added: 'The gaps that are left are probably quite easy to fill in.'

It is estimated that the annual cost of ID theft in the UK is as high as £2bn. The Land Registry said the information it stored was already in the public domain.

A spokeswoman said: 'The register cannot be searched by name, only by address. The information is in the public domain and parliament has decided that this is how it should be.

'We have no evidence of any fraud being done from information from the Land Registry in this way. If we did we would investigate the matter thoroughly.'

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