Identity fraud over the sales period
Beware of Identity Fraud over the Sales Period as Conmen are using Companies House data to their advantage!
2th January 2008
Christmas and the New Year is the traditional time of year for everyone to spend extravagantly as most shoppers are in rush to buy gifts in time, or get the best after Christmas bargain – no matter what the price! One example is the demand for the Nintendo Wii, the price for one can cost you up to £1000 from eBay – about 4 or 5 times the retail value as parents bid to get one under the Christmas tree on time. It is not surprising therefore, that with such high retail spending, fraudsters start moving in - hoping that their fraudulent transactions will go unnoticed in this month’s high spending frenzy.
In your rush to bag the perfect sale bargain do be aware of those fraudsters trying to take advantage of this frivolous spending to make you part with your hard-earned cash. As fraudsters have become more sophisticated, they are using publicly available information to commit fraud. One such story is one of a company – spotted by Graydon, advertising in newspapers and promising to deliver iPods in time for Christmas. By filing relevant documents into Companies House, they were able to set up a company and file bogus annual accounts. They were caught as they wrote the name of an auditor that did not exist.
Therefore do not get frustrated with your credit card issuer or the shop assistant this season when your credit or debit cards are referred, as that bit of waiting may save you from being the next victim of identity fraud!
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