www.iva.co.uk

I just thought I'd post this as a warning.

Someone I work with has been the victim of an elaborate fraud. The fraudsters set up a postal redirection with the Royal Mail and when they had his details they ordered new debit cards from Barclays. He only found out about this when they took £300 from his bank account.

Barclays stopped the card and refunded the money and he didn't think anything more of it until his wife had problems getting car finance. It turns out that not only was money taken from their account, but they are now the proud owners of a £150,000 mortgage.

He phoned Barclays and asked how this could happen when he'd advised them of what happened and they had stopped the cards and he was told that as it's a different department at the bank they wouldn't have known!

I know it would be nigh on impossible for anyone to get credit in any of our names, but it wouldn't stop them trying, and they could still take money from our accounts.

That is bad, and I wonder how they got the details in the first place to be able to do it.

According to the Royal Mail website you need to jump through a few hoops before you can do redirection by producing certain forms of identification and they have to be originals, not photocopies.

I think I would be a bit suspicious if I wasn't getting any mail at all.

The other thing you can do (and I did this when I had a card cloned) is register with Cifas so that you can't get credit easily.

Whilst I am not suggesting that your colleague has done anything underhand, I still think it sounds a bit funny.

Call it the ex copper in me!

I would have thought the same but if I hadn't seen it on Watchdog a few weeks ago.

Apparently it's happened to a lot of people, including the sports presenter John Inverdale, who only found out when he saw his postman who asked him what he was doing at the house as he thought he'd moved!

It probably is because I am naturally suspicious!

I know we don't have a vast amount of post, but there are certain things which I know will be coming through and if they don't, then I would start to worry.

Presumably they must have managed to changed the address on the credit record?

Another good reason for keeping a close eye on it.

I'm not sure, but I presume they must have done somehow.

On Watchdog they showed how easy it is for someone to fake utility bills etc, so I presume that's what they used for the redirection.

Here's the link to Watchdog - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/200 ... ssing.html

Having said that, I have a case on the go at the moment involving cash back from utility companies, where they send you a cheque - and these are brilliantly forged.

I don't agree that these programmes should show how easy it is to do though.

Perhaps another good reason to do utility bills online. I don't have anything financial through the post anymore. All bank statements, utility bills, phone (both landline and mobile) are done online. My computer bristles with security so no one should be able to get hold of details and I am up to date with all email scams.

Sorry, I should rephrase that - they showed the end product of the forgery, not how to do it!

Most of my things are done online now, although when I told Dave he said that Natwest always send the details of his business overdraft charges by post and won't go paperless.

Having had a couple of security scares myself over the years, I am very wary now.

My son's card was cloned the other week, luckily he noticed almost immediately and they used it for two deliveries from Dominos Pizza totally £40! Must've been hungry!

02 card the other week was duplicating all charges, daughter (16) got her balance online after going Christmas Shopping and had -£10, she was distraught, phoned them up and they apologised and it took a few days but put money back, but when you're 16 you want the money now!

I'm very wary of things but what lengths people go to now'a'days to not go out and earn an honest living is beyond me sometimes!

Well I suppose its one good thing about being insolvant they will never be able to get ought in my name!!

I dont think postal redirection is as hard to get as it should be, I have used this servic many times over the years with my numerous moves but on the ither hand I suppose if they are out to Fraudulently gain money a utility bill is not going to cause any gereat issues is it?

Im pretty sure when I moved they sent confirmation of the redirection to my current (old) address... while the setup was in progress and this is marked as DO NOT REDIRECT so should not get redirected. If this does happen to anyone lets hope they get this letter before any damage can be done!

Perhaps RM have changed this process now?

Dan

Yes, a letter is sent to the old address. Not everyone gets one though.

ahh... this is where it might all go wrong!

Silly royal mail!

ahh... this is where it might all go wrong!

Silly royal mail!

The Royal Mail are actually taking steps to reduce the menace of identity fraud by working with the Fraud Prevention Service 'Cifas' ( www.cifas.org.uk ), and also strongly supported this year's National Identity Fraud Prevention Week ( www.stop.idfraud.co.uk ) - A pair of websites well worth a visit for all concerned. In fact, the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee recommends that to reduce the risk of identity fraud when you move house, use Royal Mail's Redirection Service to direct your mail from your old address to your new one for at least one year, this costs £39 for the 12 months, or they can use Royal Mail's 'Keepsafe Service' where mail is stored for customers for up to two months at a safe location. Visit www.royalmail.com for details.