Fraud! Someone using my company details.

[Luckyboy]

Looking for some advice.
I have been sent an EICR by a local estate agent I regularly work with, asking if I carried out an EICR for this particular property.
I checked my records and did not have this on my previous works - I asked them to send over the EICR, which they did.
Someone has used all of my company details including address and membership number to fill out an EICR using iCertfi... I don't even use their software.
I have called NAPIT which said this needs to be reported to the police, the police are not interested (for a change...) and say to report to Action Fraud which don't actually do anything either.
What can I do to prevent this scam artist from using my information to many other customers?!

The only details which aren't mine are a random scribble as a signature and unknown initials. The contact number doesn't actually exist either.

 

[Andy™]

What can I do to prevent this scam artist from using my information to many other customers?!

very little

 

[Fleeting]

I would contact Citizens Advice it sounds like someone has a previous report of yours and are using your details.

 

[Geoff1946]

Ask for a new NAPIT registration number.
Send them a copy of the fraudulent report.
Ask the "owner" of the fraudulent report how they enlisted their electrician. They must have contact details which don't include your proper address. If you can get a mobile number or e-mail have another go at getting police interested. Surely theft of your identity for gain is a crime?
Circulate local estate agents with a letter warning them to watch out for this fraud, quoting the old number.
I'm no legal expert but these are the things I would do.

 

[Murdoch]

How did the letting agent get the copy of the EICR ?

 

[Andy™]

How did the letting agent get the copy of the EICR ?

at a guess, he done the EICR correctly and give it an unsatisfatory. they then contacted someone else (cheaper) for remedials and a satisfactory report, showing / giving them the original they had. A N other then made a satisfactory version using the original details

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

Think you need to go back to the letting agent to find out who requested the report..

and from that the name of who they employed to do it and presumably paid??

To move forward I guess you need a real name and address of the person who claims to have done the EICR?

But I would have expected Napit to be a bit more helpful?


A lot of electrical contractors details our out in the public domain on all sorts of advertising platforms...
So for anyone wanting to exploit this info it would be quite easy...

When was this EICR actually done?
If the contact number is fake sounds to me like the person requesting the report knows its fake as well?

 

[Murdoch]

at a guess, he done the EICR correctly and give it an unsatisfatory. they then contacted someone else (cheaper) for remedials and a satisfactory report, showing / giving them the original they had. A N other then made a satisfactory version using the original details

I realise that but surely the letting agent then needs to ”point the finger” at the Landlord then …,.

 

[Andy™]

But I would have expected Napit to be a bit more helpful?

since we all know the scams are not interested unless they are not registered with them, can we assume they have looked into it and discovered the they are registered with them (in their own name), therefore napit are not interested?

 

[Luckyboy]

I work with this letting agent frequently, they were given the report by a landlord. The agent noticed the report looked different to my actual reports and asked if I did this one...
I then went afterwards to carry out a "legitimate" EICR, I did ask the landlord who said they couldn't remember their contact details/name and they paid cash...

The details on the report were 75% accurate, some of the basics cocked up... so seems like someone that knows some bits, but not all.

I did wonder if the landlord was aware it was dodgy, especially as they failed to give me any useful information and were willing to pay for 2 separate EICRs.

 

[Murdoch]

I work with this letting agent frequently, they were given the report by a landlord. The agent noticed the report looked different to my actual reports and asked if I did this one...
I then went afterwards to carry out a "legitimate" EICR, I did ask the landlord who said they couldn't remember their contact details/name and they paid cash...

The details on the report were 75% accurate, some of the basics cocked up... so seems like someone that knows some bits, but not all.

I did wonder if the landlord was aware it was dodgy, especially as they failed to give me any useful information and were willing to pay for 2 separate EICRs.

landlord paid cash , no receipt, but would be needed to tax returns ….. smells

 

[SPECIAL LOCATION]

I work with this letting agent frequently, they were given the report by a landlord. The agent noticed the report looked different to my actual reports and asked if I did this one...
I then went afterwards to carry out a "legitimate" EICR, I did ask the landlord who said they couldn't remember their contact details/name and they paid cash...

The details on the report were 75% accurate, some of the basics cocked up... so seems like someone that knows some bits, but not all.

I did wonder if the landlord was aware it was dodgy, especially as they failed to give me any useful information and were willing to pay for 2 separate EICRs.

I cannot believe anyone with half a brain would not know the contact details of someone they had employed AND paid to do some work for them!!!

So I would guess that the landlord and dodgy electrician are either...
very good friends.. and/or intimately related.. are in-it-together...
and are both well aware of exactly what they were doing!!!!

Personally I avoid a lot of landlord rented property work..
(excluding a small number of selected persons who I have known for years and have a mutual trust established)..

But from my limited experience..
They normally want a nice comprehensive written invoice with all costs and contact details clearly identified!!

 

[Luckyboy]

I cannot believe anyone with half a brain would not know the contact details of someone they had employed AND paid to do some work for them!!!

So I would guess that the landlord and dodgy electrician are either...
very good friends.. and/or intimately related.. are in-it-together...
and are both well aware of exactly what they were doing!!!!

Personally I avoid a lot of landlord rented property work..
(excluding a small number of selected persons who I have known for years and have a mutual trust established)..

But from my limited experience..
They normally want a nice comprehensive written invoice with all costs and contact details clearly identified!!

I agree with you.
I can only hope that this was a one-off and that there isn't loads of false certificates with my company name.

Very frustrating as these sorts of things can literally bring down a genuine hardworking and trusted business.

 

[UNG]

It is very frustrating when you get someone using your details as me and my business partner at the time found out one afternoon about 30 years ago when we had a visit from 2 investigators from the Inland Revenue's special compliance office regarding some invoices we had issued it came to light that someone had done work for a small number of businesses and had issued suspect invoices with all our details even down to the phone number, the initial visit from these 2 guys went on for a few hours while we were trying to convince them that we had never done any work for the businesses in question and our paperwork in no way was similar to what they produced to us, it took a while for them to sort it out conclude their investigation and leave us alone. It was a harrowing few weeks especially when possible fraud was mentioned
Even back then their was no easy way to prevent someone using your details and trade as you while being under the radar

On a similar theme many years ago my wife had someone else using her NI number which only came to light when we had our accountant look at some tax issues for her that was an absolute expensive nightmare to sort out making phone calls and going to meetings with DHSS and Inland Revenue proving you are the legitimate user of an NI number, how many PAYE tax payers who never contact the tax or NI have had their NI number stolen and will be unaware it has happened until they hit retirement age

 

[mort2376]

Unfortunately your registration company not being helpful seems to be a phrase you hear to often. Unless it involves someone claiming to be under their scheme and arent, they don't seem that interested and that applies to all scheme providers.

 

[binky]

I agree with you.
I can only hope that this was a one-off and that there isn't loads of false certificates with my company name.

Very frustrating as these sorts of things can literally bring down a genuine hardworking and trusted business.

I suspect it's a bit of a one off, I also would guess it was the landlord. There's not really much you can do about it in reality. It might be worth tweaking your company paperwork just in case anything arising in future is easier to spot.

I've had people trying to imitate my business in the past. They ordered a load of electic radiators off my CEF account, and very nearly got them. If it wasn't for the fact they were out of stock, I would not have got the invoice before they collected them. Stupid barstewards would quite happily have given them the gear if I hadn't phoned to ask what was going on.

 

[Phoenix]

I've had people trying to imitate my business in the past. They ordered a load of electic radiators off my CEF account, and very nearly got them. If it wasn't for the fact they were out of stock, I would not have got the invoice before they collected them. Stupid barstewards would quite happily have given them the gear if I hadn't phoned to ask what was going on.

Are you sure thats noit just citys getting confused about which contractor has ordered the heaters?

Maybe it was just our branch, but it wasn't unusual for them to book to bookm wrong orders to our account, and I can remember hearing similar from some S/E subbies as well, so they were doing to most folk I think.

Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetance and all that! But saying that I think its just probably our local branch, they are generally a pain to deal with, but go to another branch near a job and its fine, just a shame it has to be cross booked through local branch!

 

[Murdoch]

Sounds like the letting agent was suspicious

 

[apprentice87]

On a similar theme many years ago my wife had someone else using her NI number which only came to light when we had our accountant look at some tax issues for her that was an absolute expensive nightmare to sort out making phone calls and going to meetings with DHSS and Inland Revenue proving you are the legitimate user of an NI number, how many PAYE tax payers who never contact the tax or NI have had their NI number stolen and will be unaware it has happened until they hit retirement age

Ah, off at a tangent a bit, but i know about this sort of thing.. My sister works for the DWP and her husband is a serious fraud investigator there.

Four things generally happen;

1, someone that is on the dole works on the quiet using their OWN NI number.. They automatically get caught for TWO reasons. First one, is that when you are on the dole you have NI credited to you. This means that if you use your OWN NI number [yes, they are that dull] come January when it is all totted up, you have too many Ni conributions in your name so you are automatically caught..

2, The DWP have a "real time" link to the HMRC. This means that they are instantly alerted if a claimant is working. My sister rings them up and says "have you heard of "Acme engineering" [or whatever] They say no.. My sister drips them a bit of info and they say; "ohh, now you mention it is did a few shifts for them years ago" only to be told how much they earned there last week!!

3, A genuine claimant has their claim stopped. When they inquire as to why, they are told that they are working. Generally, there is not too much of a problem, since the address where they are supposed to be working might be hundreds of miles from where they live, so, it is fairly obvious it is not them..

4, The HMRC get someone NI number wrong and tell the DWP that someone is working. Same result as above..

I will find out what happens if YOU are working and then someone else uses your NI and post back..

Might help someone..

As for the landlord thing, i would put in a complaint to the police, as they take an oath to uphold the law. As for the letting agents and landlord with the bad memory. remind him about "conspiring to commit offences" you might find his memory improves...

I will go and ask my sister in a bit what she thinks..

john..

 

[UNG]

Unfortunately your registration company not being helpful seems to be a phrase you hear to often. Unless it involves someone claiming to be under their scheme and arent, they don't seem that interested and that applies to all scheme providers.

What would you expect the registration body to do, it's a bit of a difficult one to police if the registion body gives you a new registration number what stops that being used by someone else, registration numbers and company names and addresses have to be in the public domain so the validity of a contractor can be verified

I've had people trying to imitate my business in the past. They ordered a load of electic radiators off my CEF account, and very nearly got them. If it wasn't for the fact they were out of stock, I would not have got the invoice before they collected them. Stupid barstewards would quite happily have given them the gear if I hadn't phoned to ask what was going on.

Nothing new with CEF that was happening 30 - 40 years ago that I know of, counter staff just pick an account off the customer list and book the goods, I know of one company that was invoiced for over £100k of goods over 18 months that nobody had done to make the sales figures hit the target

Ah, off at a tangent a bit, but i know about this sort of thing.. My sister works for the DWP and her husband is a serious fraud investigator there.

Four things generally happen;

1, someone that is on the dole works on the quiet using their OWN NI number.. They automatically get caught for TWO reasons. First one, is that when you are on the dole you have NI credited to you. This means that if you use your OWN NI number [yes, they are that dull] come January when it is all totted up, you have too many Ni conributions in your name so you are automatically caught..

2, The DWP have a "real time" link to the HMRC. This means that they are instantly alerted if a claimant is working. My sister rings them up and says "have you heard of "Acme engineering" [or whatever] They say no.. My sister drips them a bit of info and they say; "ohh, now you mention it is did a few shifts for them years ago" only to be told how much they earned there last week!!

3, A genuine claimant has their claim stopped. When they inquire as to why, they are told that they are working. Generally, there is not too much of a problem, since the address where they are supposed to be working might be hundreds of miles from where they live, so, it is fairly obvious it is not them..

4, The HMRC get someone NI number wrong and tell the DWP that someone is working. Same result as above..

I will find out what happens if YOU are working and then someone else uses your NI and post back..

Might help someone..

As for the landlord thing, i would put in a complaint to the police, as they take an oath to uphold the law. As for the letting agents and landlord with the bad memory. remind him about "conspiring to commit offences" you might find his memory improves...

I will go and ask my sister in a bit what she thinks..

john..

If only it was that easy to sort out there was a lot less digital technology around 25 years ago so harder to sort out the problem than it is now