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A London solicitor has been accused of being part of an alleged fifty million pound mortgage fraud.  This case marks the latest in a plethora of high profile mortgage and property fraud cases in the last year.

Mortgage fraud alone is estimated at 700 million Pounds per annum.

Property, land and other buildings are amongst the most expensive assets people own. Property can be sold or mortgaged to raise funds . This clearly makes them high priority targets for fraud.

The fraud process is often initiated by the con man by changing the legal owner’s registered addresses at the Land Registry enabling the fraudster to gain control over the house (3 addresses can be listed).Even if a fraudulent transfer of a property is proven to be illegal (which is by no means certain) a loan registered against the property can still be enforced against the true owner (Barclays v Guy), enabling the secured lender to potentially reclaim the property for unpaid mortgage payments. In some cases it is possible to get compensation from the land registry, but this can be an arduous and drawn out task.

Nationwide recently merged with and took over the Cheshire Building Society.Conveyancing panels for the Nationwide may be pruned an a result of this Fraud. Earlier In the face of the Britannia Building Societie’s recent exposure to mortgage fraud they had to cut 3700 conveyancing firms off their panel (Including London and Birmingham Conveyancing practices) They indicated that this was a requirement from their insurers.

In this latest high profile case, Simon Lawrence, 48, has been charged with conspiracy to obtain a money transfer by deception, after Cheshire Building Society reported him and five others to West Midlands Police.

The group, including London conveyancing solicitor and Birmingham solicitors and a property developer, are accused of buying six properties and distributing them between a web of companies at increased prices using fake documents.

The group has stacked up an amazing £50,000,000 of unpaid mortgage advances, obtained through identity theft.

At the time of the alleged crimes, Mr Lawrence was a senior player in a conveyancers firm which carried out conveyancing in London and conveyancing in Hertfordshire. He is no longer working for the Darlingtons, the London Conveyancers.

In related news, Chelsea Building Society admitted to having lost £41,000,000 through mortgage fraud in August, and is currently negotiating a merger with the Yorkshire Building Society.

Safe Internet Blog conveyancing, conveyancing lawyers, conveyancing solicitors, fraud, identity fraud, identity theft, mortgage fraud

Do you think you are a special person? You may not, but an identity thief certainly does. These impostors would just love a chance to be you, for weeks, months or even years, and while they’re at it, spend lots of money which actually doesn’t belong to you. But in the eyes of a bank you would be responsible because the name being used is yours. So, knowing that, it’s time to learn how to safeguard your name and other kinds of private information.

One of the best things you can do for preventing identity theft is to shred all your bills, bank statements, and credit card notices. Simply throwing them in the trash will give identity thieves easy access to your personal information, since rummaging through home and business trash is one of the main ways that people have their identity stolen. You may already have a shredder at your office, but buying a small one for your home is a great way to reduce the chances of your personal information getting into the wrong hands.

You can also stop identity theft by protecting yourself online. If you know someone who has been a victim of identity theft due to online banking, it was probably a result of phishing. Lots of people received fake emails from hackers that have obtained the logos or slogans of well-respected financial institutions, and will send out emails to people that may be members of these banks. In many cases, the emails will request that you give your personal information, so that your files or records can be updated, and since they look so real, lots of people are tricked by them. So, before you even open any emails that look like they are from your bank, you should check with your financial institution to find out exactly how a valid email should look so that you won’t give your financial information to the wrong people.

You should also be aware of where you are shopping online. In some cases, identity thieves will use a process called skimming to obtain your personal credit information. This takes places in live stores as well, since skimming involves using a storage device that saves credit card numbers so they can be used for the future. When the company processes your card, the number of the card, as well as your name, the card’s expiration date, and the security code for the card may be recorded, which means that several purchases can be made by the thieves without your authorization.

You know the mailbox outside your front door? Lock it, or arrange to have your bills delivered to a post office. If your mail is stolen it will turn your life into a nightmare since identity thieves will scout residential areas for open mailboxes. If you’re moving, you have to tell your bank right away. As annoying as bills and junk mail might be, you wouldn’t want this to fall into the wrong hands.

Identity theft is a growing problem, and many people are worried that they will become victim to this faceless crime. That’s why it’s so important to learn some tips on identity theft protection. Learn more about how to protect yourself at Identity Theft Facts.

Safe Internet Blog identity theft, identity theft prevention, prevent identity theft

What has caused this new spike in property fraud?

Identity fraud is not just about credit cards any more, fraudsters are after your property also. Property fraud is booming like never before and fraudsters are finding brand new and smarter ways to con unsuspecting property owners.

A spokeswoman for the Land Registry ( which is a government body responsible for maintaining a record of who owns what land in England and Wales ) said: “We recognise that fraud is a problem and we want to make more stringent checks about who is dealing with sensitive information.”

Paul Doxey, a forensic accountant at Navigant Consulting, told Channel 4 News “In the in the 80s and 90s we saw a lot of property fraud, but what’s different in the recent frauds is the explosion of ID fraud. It’s now far easier for fraudsters to obtain false IDs through the black market, which they can use as a cover while they carry out these frauds.’” The Daily Mail last month reported that Gary Miller, a fraud solicitor with Mishcon de Reya Solicitors, said a lack of enforcement funding meant that property fraud had not been ‘anywhere near high enough on the police agenda’.’ Our experience indicates to us that what we see now is just the tip of the iceberg,’ he added.

Property fraud occurs by con men obtaining false ID papers of a property owner and then going to the Land Registry to transfer ownership to a new name. Under the new name they take out a mortgage and then run off with the money, leaving the owner facing repossession.
The Registry says it received fifty five complaints of information having been obtained from its website for the purpose of fraud, which resulted in a massive payout of£12 million of compensation over the two financial years from 2005 to 2007.

Latest statistics show that the risk of becoming a victim of fraud is highest still following a divorce, when a property is vacant or bought to let, when the owner is overseas or absent, or when the owner is infirm or in a home.

The Land Registration Act 2002 abolished the legal significance of a Land or Charge Certificate, possession of which had until then been an owner’s proof of title to registered land. This is part of the industry’s move towards online conveyancing, but until this system is fully actualized incorporating the use of encrypted electronic signatures, the current situation could leave some homeowners at risk from fraud.

With current sophisticated counterfeit technology, a determined fraudster could, quite easily, obtain sufficient fake ID and obtain all the information he/she requires from the public register at the Land Registry to carry out a fraudulent property transaction.
If we consider the following two hypothetical scenarios, where Landlords and owners of empty properties could be especially at risk from this form of identity theft:

1. A Landlord unwittingly rents out his property to a con man, who has already provided one set of defrauded ID prior to commencement of the Tenancy. As he/she is now in exclusive occupation of the property, it should not present the con man with too much difficulty being able to pass himself off as the registered owner – to an unsuspecting Conveyancer, Surveyor, Estate Agent and Purchaser. As the Land (or Charge) Certificate no does not have to be produced anymore, this leaves the counterfeiter free to sell either the whole or part of the property, or alternatively secure a charge by re-mortgaging to the full market value; in both cases palming the net proceeds before running off to the Carribbean

2. An empty house could also be vulnerable and can either be systematically broken into to collect correspondence, or the fraudster could easily provide a different correspondence address to the lawyer he chooses to instruct, using defrauded documentation. The house would then be charged or sold and the fraudulent transaction could remain undetected for months, or even years, until such time as the true owner later begins to deal with the property.

A recent and alarming Court of Appeal decision has Okayed banks to repossess properties owned by the unwitting victims of property fraudsters.

In Barclays Bank v Guy a fraudster made a transfer of Mr Guy’s property to himself and successfully had the transfer of title approved by the Land Registry so that he became the registered proprietor of the property. He then borrowed money from Barclays Bank and secured the borrowing with a mortgage against Mr. Guy’s home.

Once he became aware of the fraud, Mr Guy applied to the Court of Appeal to rectify the fraudulent transaction and have himself re-registered as the freeholder of the home and the mortgage in favour of Barclays deleted.
The Court of Appeal determined that it was OK to reinstate Mr. Guy as the registered owner of the house but the mortgage to Barclays could not be removed. This meant that Barclays still had a valid power to sell the home for non payment of its loan even though Mr. Guy was not the person who had borrowed the money.

This is the staggering decision which basicaly means any of us could find our property being repossessed because of the actions of a fraudster. Anyone owning property they do not occupy themselves is particularly vulnerable to this type of fraud.

What can be done to protect your property assets? “Prevention is better than cure,” said Malcolm Tarling from the Association of British Insurers. “People need to take reasonable steps” It is imperative that home owners do what they can to help prevent fraud and to ensure their ownership in the same way that they protect other things they own.

A property owner could definately consider adding a standard form restriction on their title register, particularly where their house is not subject to a mortgage (the presence of a mortgage and the usual accompanying restriction hopefully reduces the chance of fraud involving a mortgaged property). The purpose of the restriction would be to prevent the Land Registry from registering a disposition (such as a transfer, lease, charge, or even an easement) without a lawyer certifying that, for example, the transferor is indeed the registered owner.

This restriction provides a degree of protection against an opportunist scammer. Although this would not stop a determined fraudster from succeeding, it does present an obstacle and may go some way to protecting the true owner from any unauthorised dealings.
Find out what you can do to assist preventing property fraud

Safe Internet Blog fraud, identity fraud, identity theft, illegal mortgages, property fraud

More than 8½ million people have been victims of identity theft, it’s astonishing to know that there are so many. Having identity theft happen to you isn’t anything personal, it can happen to anyone regardless of faith, age, race, nationality or sex. An issue that is on everyone’s mind these days is identity theft and how to prevent it. As identity theft cases are becoming more wide spread and well known, people are seeking ways to know that they are protected. A viable means of protecting yourself is to invest in identity theft insurance.

Unfortunately, the majority of people are ignorant about identity theft insurance. It is quite common for people to carry Commercial liability insurance in Miami Florida, but it is far less likely they will carry identity theft insurance. You may already have this coverage, and not be aware of it, included in your home owner insurance or your automobile insurance policy. If you are a victim of identity theft, a fraud specialist with your insurance company can assist you in taking the appropriate steps to cancel your credit cards, dispute charges, and freeze accounts. In Florida, you can ask any Miami insurance agency about identity theft and they will tell you it is becoming a problem widespread across the United States.

A great thing about this insurance is that it will cover any charges that have been wracked up due to identity theft. There are lots of expenses involved in getting fraudulent charges removed from your record when getting your stolen identity back. You will most likely have to pay the attorney fees as well as miss time at work. If you lose your identity then you are really in for a tough time because sometimes it isn’t even easy to prove that you’re a victim of this to begin with. If someone has used your identity for their criminal activities then you can find yourself in trouble or owing a lot of money for something that you didn’t even do.

You have many options when it comes to protecting yourself and your personal information from identity theft. Once it has, you’ll have the identity theft insurance backing you up. You need to talk to your insurance agent, if you are unsure if you have this coverage included in your automobile or home policy. Details of your insurance plan can be gone over with them. If your insurance agency does not provide this type of coverage, you may want to think about shopping around to find an insurance agency that does. You would be better off to have identity theft insurance than to not have it.

Safe Internet Blog fraud, identity theft, identity theft insurance, online fraud

My Space, Facebook, Profiles, and web sites are just some of the public or semi-public platforms that are personal billboards. Many of these sites are havens for young people and are a major part of their social fabric. While there are many enjoyable aspects of these new social networks, there are also real dangers. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America.

Every day forty thousand people have their identity stolen. The damage varies but the burden of innocence lies on the victim. That’s right, a credit reporting agency will not repair or restore your credit until you document, through a painful process, your innocence.

Young people generally don’t weigh risk well and will leave way too much information open to the public. A public facebook profile that holds birthdate, address, and sibling/parent information is a perfect way for an identity thief to start building a crime.

Job applications for young people should not include a social security number until you are ready to undergo a test or examination and receive an offer. If the employer uses the reason that they need to do a background check, remember, there are few background check services that offer information on candidates under 21.

Importance of Background Check:

Most of us very easily get impressed by a stranger, who enters our life disguised as a well wisher. We easily get attached to new people and easily instil our trust in them. Dubious character takes advantage of our innocence and harms us. Such duping instances are very common these days, and are especially prevalent amongst youngsters, who easily get infatuated and trust people without harbouring any doubt. In such cases, the online background check can prove to be very beneficial and can actually prevent many sad instances from taking place.This check is especially highly beneficial for young girls to be sure that their present boyfriend is not a fraud. Running a quick check can actually prevent many rapes from taking place. In USA and Europe, there are numerous cases in which hard core criminal boys dupe young girls by befriending them. When the innocent girls starts trusting them they ransack their money and sometimes even rape and murder them.

Even while marrying someone you have recently met, you can never be sure about his or her past. Run a quick criminal background check on them before getting hitched with them for a lifetime!These instant checks are also very beneficial when hiring a new employee, house help or tenant. Crime rate is thriving these days, and lack of evidence and verification makes it easier for such criminals to get away easily. But with the advent of online checks, it has become easier to know a person’s history before letting them enter your life. It has made the process quicker and can be done in a confidential manner. Most of the background checks have the following defined parameters:

1. Past 10 year accommodation and immigration details
2. Identity check through data and social security number
3. Vehicle records, bank details and credit cards
4. Education, employee verification and documentation
5. Criminal and civil history records

Senior citizens are prime targets. Protect your golden years and your loved ones who are not capable of protecting themselves. Follow the above tips, purchase an identity protection plan, and use common sense to make sure you don’t become a victim

Resource Author Francisco Rodriguez H.
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Safe Internet Blog identity theft

TrustedID, a fraud alert company specializing in identity theft protection, endeavors to protect the credit and identity of consumers. They do this task by scanning thousands of databases that contain your personal and financial information and reporting any irregularities to you. TrustedID also provide you with the option to place a fraud alert on your credit fileA fraud alert requires creditors to verify your identity by calling the phone number placed beside the alert. TrustedID also orders you a copy of your credit report from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax once per year so that you can peruse it for errors.

TrustedId’s flagship product, IDFreeze, also protects you in many other ways. They also scour illegal websites to ensure that your private information is not being sold on these sites that exist for that purpose. They also remove you from many junkmail lists and stops those pre-approved credit card offers that can lead to identity theft. It comes as no surprise, given all that they do, that more and more consumers are picking Trusted ID over other identity theft protection companies like LifeLock. Trust me it is the best credit protection available anywhere.

Also included with TrustedID’s identity theft protection service is a medical benefit review to double check that you and your family are the only ones using them. They will also review clients Social Security statements to ensure that only authorized people are on each member of your families statement. TrustedID also protects you on the internet with anti-spyware software that can be installed on up to three computers.

TrustedID is providing a promotion code to receive the best deal available. This is the promotion code you can use to enroll in TrustedId for the low monthly price of .50 or you can pay the company $84.15 yearly. Of course you could get more information on TrustedID and use the link on the page so you don’t have to enter the code.

There is another offer from Trusted ID that includes protection for everyone in the family, including grandparents, as long as they reside at the same house. What’s makes this even better is that, with this deal, you pay only 0 after your free 30 day trial. This is a very special offer because a whole family will save a lot of money. You can’t get anything cheaper than that anywhere.

Identity protection from TrustedID will also give you peace of mind knowing you don’t have to worry about your money nor credit being stolen. If, by chance, you do become a victim you will be covered by their million dollar insurance policy. Seeking the assistance of professionals in this field is an easy decision. Here is an unbiased TrustedId review that concurs with my review. Enroll with TrustedID today and get the peace of mind you deserve.

Safe Internet Blog credit protection, Identity Protection Companies, identity theft, identity theft protection, lifelock, trusted id, trustedid

Medical identity theft takes place when an individual uses someone else’s confidential information for medical situations. Not only is this dishonest, but it can also be very hazardous.

Medical identity theft is seldom reported or investigated and that makes it less difficult for people to execute this kind of crime. If your medical records are compromised then it can have potentially fatal results. Whether it’s being given the wrong medicines or the wrong type of blood, this is one type of theft you can’t afford to permit to transpire to you or your family. In an emergency situation your medical records might be all the doctors have available to establish the correct treatment for you.

Tampering with your medical records could also prevent you from receiving life saving medications in the event of an urgent situation. This could be due to the fact that particular medicines can’t be given to people with particular conditions, and though you might not have that condition the person who has taken your identity does.

Health care providers may label you as a drug seeker due to the other individual’s medicines being confused as yours. If this takes place it may affect your ability to obtain specific drugs or you could even lose your job and be investigated by the police. If you work in the medical profession you might even lose your license to practice.

When somebody makes use of your information for insurance purposes it is considered to be insurance fraud. Not only can this impact your insurance premiums, however you might be responsible for co-pays or any bills not paid for by the insurance company. Here again your medical records are compromised as a result of the other person using your identity.

If you are unaware of the bills then your credit might be affected to the point of being ineligible for car and home loans and other credit related opportunities. You could even potentially be sued for the bills that were created in your name by another person. If you are sued then your pay might be garnished for something you had no awareness of. It could also make you lose job opportunities if the employer checks your credit score.

Another reason individuals commit medical identity theft is to acquire government benefits that are legally yours. This might include social security and disability. Once they are drawing these benefits it can be very hard to prove to the government that these benefits rightly belong to you and your family.

To avoid medical identity theft you need to be very careful about allowing anybody to have your private information, and always be familiar with what is in your records in the event of an emergency. If you need assistance then there are identity theft insurance companies that will guard your identity for you and inform you of any unusual changes.

Once your medical identity has been stolen it might take years to get things straightened out. You may incur legal fees and you’ll need to prove that you are the lawful owner of your own identity and not the individual who has stolen it from you.

Safe Internet Blog identity theft, medical identity theft

You probably know at least one person who has had their Identity Stolen. You may have even had your stolen in the past. This is due to the fact that the didital age has allowed identity theft to become one of the biggest threats to our personal and financial safety.

Having your identity stolen can severely damage your credit score and report, bringing a lot of stress and strife to both your personal and financial life.

But many people who have had their identity stolen don’t realize it until long after the crime was initially committed. Here are even more things to look out for that could mean you have been the victim of identity theft.

Your PIN and Passwords Stop Working

If your account usernames, passwords and ATM PIN stop working, it could be because someone stole your identity and changed your access information. Banks and other online may infrequently require you to change your password every once in a while for security reasons.

If you are asked to change your password, make sure the site and request are both legitimate and trustworthy.

Bills Stop Coming

While it might sound nice to stop getting bills, it can actually be a huge headache. It is a common practice for identity thieves to change the addresses on accounts in order for them to be able to use your information without raising suspicion.

Just remember, if you stop getting bills, something is definitely suspicious.

Strange Information in Your Files

When you find discrepancies in your credit report, there is a chance it could just be an error. Hopefully that’s the case, but weird things showing up can often be a tell-tale sign of identity theft.

A good way to make strange information more visible is to always list your name the same way. If you always write your name on credit applications with your middle name or middle initial, accounts started without them can immediately be looked at with suspicion.

You may be wondering what is a good credit score. If so, you could benefit from credit repair.

Safe Internet Blog identity theft

Anyone can become a victim of theft since there are so many different ways. You may be the victim of a multitude of crimes such as burglary, auto theft or vandalism. Each of these crimes may cause much anxiety and leave you with a sense of uncertainty and helplessness. Identity theft is another sort of criminal enterprise that can have devastating consequences for its victims. To keep yourself safe, it is crucial that you know the ways your identity can be taken, and the steps you need to take to prevent identity theft.

One of the main ways of stopping identity theft is to keep these criminals from accessing your confidential information. Once they have these particulars, they can start pretending that they are you in order to commit fraud. The information they try to get a hold of could range from credit card info to social security identification. If a thief is able to gain access to your personal information they will try to access your bank and credit card accounts. They do not necessarily need to have your PIN number in order to cause a considerable amount of damage.

Obviously, if criminals manage to obtain your credit card number, they will be sure to use it to shop for expensive items. If it is your social security number they have gotten, or another form of confidential identification, the criminal will open new credit cards and financial accounts in order to run up debt making use of your name. They’re undoubtedly not going to pay off these bills, and the financial institutions will wind up knocking on your door to get their money back.

Criminals have quite a range of tricks up their sleeves when they are engaging in online identity theft. They may obtain credit card information by hacking into the databases of internet shops. Or they might hack into your home computer and access your password and financial institution information.

Phishing is another kind of identity theft scam. If you receive an email from your financial institution asking you to verify your confidential identification number, password or other personal details, you can be fairly certain that the email is not genuine. You’ll never be asked to give such data by way of emails. And if you answer the message and give out the information the criminals are looking for, you’ve just compromised your bank accounts’ security. Some of these scam artists have gone so far as to pretend that they are from the IRS as a way to get personal information from individuals.

Keeping a close eye on any alerts and identity theft facts from your financial institutions is a good way to educate yourself about the latest scams that are floating around out there. As well, the newest scam information can be obtained from an internet search. You should make contact with the proper authorities immediately if you believe that any of your online or other dealings have been the target of criminal activities. Inform your financial institution and ask them to put a fraud alert on your accounts. You should also call the FTC and your local police department.

Safe Internet Blog avoiding identity theft, identity theft, identity theft protection, preventing identity theft, stopping identity theft

By now you have probably received at least one of those “urgent emails”. The one telling you that your account is about to be shut down unless you immediately update your personal information by clicking the link contained in the email.

They may even have heightened the urgency by telling you that if you do not take immediate action that you could be facing a lawsuit. For what exactly is not clear but it does the trick by raising your stress level and forcing you to take instant action.

Medical Identity Theft affects individuals, healthcare providers, and health plans.

1. For the individual, it leads to a trail of false medical records and can plague your medical and financial life for many years. The elderly, newborns, minors, people whose medical information are on public registries (e.g. cancer registry) and individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities are particularly at risk for medical identity theft. Dead people are often targeted too.

2. A health care provider who incorrectly bills the victim for treatment provided to the identity thief may have to write off all the expenses related to the thief as he has trouble canceling health insurance claims that were made for the thief. His reputation can be damaged and his practice negatively affected.

3. The reputation of the health plan can be damaged too as they pre-approved and paid for the thief’s treatment which is applied to your annual or lifetime benefit allowance. They also store wrong medical information in its database and share it with the Medical Information Bureau.

The next identity theft what to do is to notify the local police and file a criminal report. Not every police department might have a specific report for identity theft, but you can always fill out a miscellaneous report. Be sure to bring documentation and dollar amounts with you when you do this. If you are travelling when the identity theft occurs, it is important that you report the occurrence to the local police force, as they will be responsible for the investigation. There are also some federal agencies that you can get involved if you don’t think the local investigation will be enough.

So as you enter your personal information it is captured by hackers who then use it to do what all thieves do. Rob you blind. This can take the form of raiding your account or opening up new lines of credit. One thing the thieves will not reroute is the bills, which will come directly to you.

The best way to deal with pharming is to make sure your web connections are secure particularly when you are attempting to visit a site that contains your personal information.

Check List to Determine whether an Identity Protection Service would be good for you:
• Would you like a service that protects your medical identity so it cannot be stolen?
• Would you like a service that monitors your social security number and medical insurance information every day so you would know right away if a thief has stolen your medical identity?
• Would you like your entire family to be protected, including your children to age 25 and senior dependents?
• Would you like to have an Expense Reimbursement Insurance Policy?
• Would you like to fully recover your identity by having a professional team of paralegals call the agencies, do the paper work, and cooperate with the police to help find the thief.
• Would you being willing to pay a small monthly fee to have a team of experts help take the stress out of your life?
It is my pleasure to share with you a safe and secure way to live without stress and fear of having your medical identity stolen

Resource Author Francisco Rodriguez H.
Trabajar desde casa es fácil si sabes como
Todo sobre Juegos Mario para gente que le gusta jugar
Encontrar un Trabajo – Empleo es fácil si sabe dónde buscar

Safe Internet Blog identity theft, juegos, Trabajar, trabajo