Company Hi-Jacking

Every company registered at companies house in the UK is now facing a new threat to their business in the form of ‘Company Hi-Jacking’. This is when a company’s identity is stolen by fraudsters. These criminals simply submit a forged form to Companies House, changing a company’s registered address to a new location.

Using the selected company’s name and the new address, they are then able to carry out fraudulent activities, obtaining credit to purchase goods and services. This form of fraud is estimated to cost Ј50 million a year to industry.

As company hi-jacking is on the increase, the Metropolitan Police Service and companies house are urgently advising companies to take simple preventative measures to minimise their company’s identity from being hi-jacked, including:

1. IMMEDIATLEY check your company’s registered details are correct and that they have not been fraudulently changed.

2. IMMEDIATLEY subscribe to an online monitoring service that will alert you by email if any changes are made to your company’s details at companies house in the future.

3. IMMEDIATLEY start using a Credit Reference Agency to satisfy yourself that each new customer is legitimate, as well as credit worthy - creditgate provide a full range of Credit Reports and Companies House documents, which are available instantly online.

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