6 May 2005
An innovative new scheme has been launched to help tackle the escalating problem of fraudsters using the names of the deceased to apply for personal loans and credit.
According to the Guardian, credit reference agency Callcredit is to provide lenders with a deceased persons check as part of the application process which will hopefully limit the crime.
Impersonating the dead for credit purposes is the fastest growing form of identity theft in the UK, fraud prevention service Cifas has revealed, with the number of reported cases rocketing from 15,000 in 2001 to 70,000 last year.
"Currently it is not industry practice to carry out a deceased persons check when someone applies for credit," Graham Lund of Callcredit said.
"By making it an integral part of our credit reports we are plugging a gap in the credit industry's defences against fraudsters.
"Fraudsters who impersonate the dead are not only costing the credit industry millions of pounds each year, they are also causing unimaginable grief and distress to the families of their victims."
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