Over 750 companies have been registered on Companies House in six weeks claiming the identity of innocent people. An investigation by the BBC found that celebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal has had his identity targeted twice on Companies House in the past few weeks.
On 22 January, a company was incorporated named ‘Dinner by Heston Blumenthall Limited’ and another on 1 February named ‘Dinner by Hestonn Blumenthal Restaurant Limited’, both with incorrect spellings. This is so common as the fee to set up a company can be as little as £12, although personal information is needed to register, such as the individual’s national insurance number. A bank account can then be set up in the name of the company, or person they are imitating, then loans and overdrafts can be applied for.
From 4 March, Companies House is introducing tougher checks for those incorporating companies. ‘Anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK will need to verify their identity,’ Companies House said. There will also be ‘stronger checks on companies’ names’, hopefully ruling out the problem with fraudster impersonating people or companies. A Companies House spokesperson said: ‘We are looking into these cases and are unable to comment further at this time.
‘From March, we will have greater powers to query and remove fraudulent information from the companies register. ‘We will use our new powers to act more quickly if people tell us their personal information has been used on the register without their consent. ‘We plan to do more checks to determine the accuracy of information which is delivered before it is placed on the register. ‘In the longer term we will be requiring company directors and people who file information to verify their identity to ensure they are who they say they are.
‘These changes will enable us to crack down on misuse of the register.’
Story wrote by Will Drysdale.
