I really could not believe that I was reading this.....

This happened to my late mother’s carer. The crooks apparently changed the Land Registration with the help of a rogue solicitor . She was away for some weeks on a long well earned holiday back home . The crooks moved in, changed the locks and she still isn’t back in her own home . It’s going through the courts but hearings keep getting cancelled . She is distraught. I still don’t understand how this can happen but have also registered to be notified of any activity on my Land Registry.

This has frightened me. I have had to submit private documentation for a few things, everyone wants proof of intentity. Who are working for these companies?

The radio programme You and Yours had been investigating this type of fraud and will feature it on Monday 27 December.
It's mentioned very near the end of this programme -
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0012fnm

But was the owner of the house that OP mentioned away?

He obviously wasn't at home when the "new owner" turned up, but that does n ot necessarily mean that he hadn't popped out to do the shopping or was taking a funeral.

Identity theft if done over digital media is very difficult to prove and may not be recognised in all its forms as a crime at law.

It sounds as if this may be the case here.

How do you prove your identity in Britain where you do not have a national registry of names and addresses that citizens must by law be registered with, as most other countries have?

Some years ago, I was shocked to hear from a friend that she had been able to open a bank account in England merely by providing a number of utility bills with her name and address on them.

These can so easily be forged these days that if that is considered proof of identity I could steal any other woman's identity I wanted, as long as I chose a victim of approximately my own age.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3356929/The-thieves-stole-wife-s-house-sold-1-3million.html

Penny Hastings had this happen to her six years ago, its not new

The Land Reg alert service is the way to go. It’s free. We’ve had it for some time, for our house and both of dds’, and for our sole rental property.

I've just set it up, thanks for the headsup, it is important when there isn't a money lender involved.

You can register your property with the Land Registry online for alerts that will inform you if any activity has been recorded on the property. This is definitely recommended if there is no outstanding mortgage on the house as this makes it easier for fraudsters as a house without a mortgage is what they are looking for. Go to propertyalert.landregistry.gov.uk and register your details

You can ask land registry to inform you if anyone makes an enquiry about your property. We get regular emails telling us ‘ no activity’ which is reassuring. Also, we have a security camera - Ring brand - which films and informs us instantly if anyone enters our gate. You can speak to anyone through it or set off lights and alarms remotely. Were abroad this week & I check it when it pings on my phone. Well worth the money for peace of mind

Oldwoman70

trisher

Oldwoman70

When I recently sold and purchased I had to provide extensive proof of my identity to my solicitor who said it was to prevent fraud and money laundering - perhaps this poor man has a case against the solicitors who acted in the sale

So did I. I can't understand how this isn't a police matter. Presumably using fake ID is a crime isn't it. Shouldn't the police investigate as the source of the fake IDs could be criminal and supplying others who are money laundering.
The solicitors have certainly been negligent.

I also have to wonder how they had keys to the property - obviously they changed the locks but wouldn't they have had to break into the house in the first place - doesn't that make it a police matter?

That's true. And I do wonder how anyone got a sale through quickly. Mine took ages even with a load of phone calls and e-mails to push it through.

trisher

Oldwoman70

When I recently sold and purchased I had to provide extensive proof of my identity to my solicitor who said it was to prevent fraud and money laundering - perhaps this poor man has a case against the solicitors who acted in the sale

So did I. I can't understand how this isn't a police matter. Presumably using fake ID is a crime isn't it. Shouldn't the police investigate as the source of the fake IDs could be criminal and supplying others who are money laundering.
The solicitors have certainly been negligent.

I also have to wonder how they had keys to the property - obviously they changed the locks but wouldn't they have had to break into the house in the first place - doesn't that make it a police matter?

Yes, I read this too. I have heard of it happening before and it is very alarming, it is theft and fraud and should be dealt with in this way, it is so wrong to be regarded as a civil matter.

Oldwoman70

When I recently sold and purchased I had to provide extensive proof of my identity to my solicitor who said it was to prevent fraud and money laundering - perhaps this poor man has a case against the solicitors who acted in the sale

So did I. I can't understand how this isn't a police matter. Presumably using fake ID is a crime isn't it. Shouldn't the police investigate as the source of the fake IDs could be criminal and supplying others who are money laundering.
The solicitors have certainly been negligent.

I heard the poor man interviewed on the radio. It is disgusting that anyone had the nerve to do this.

The expert who spoke said that there had been 22 similar situations in the past year and that if you are leaving a property empty or renting it out you should make sure your mail is redirected to where you are currently living.

Before OH retired he worked overseas a lot. I would often visit him for up to six weeks at a time. Fortunately I have cats, so my neighbour was calling in at least once a day to feed them. It would have been difficult for someone to take over the house.

I caught someone going through our blue bin at 1.00 am!
They are looking for anything that could go towards cloning identity or financial information.
Shredding is the only way.

When I recently sold and purchased I had to provide extensive proof of my identity to my solicitor who said it was to prevent fraud and money laundering - perhaps this poor man has a case against the solicitors who acted in the sale

I just can not think of how people have the nerve, the thoughts to think of doing such a think and the B***s to actually do it and it is always the victim who seems to come off worse!!!!

if you are away from your property for any length of time you need lights left on so it looks lived in.
I read the OP in the news this morning. It is shocking......
on the news also recently a young couple were doing up a house they'd purchased and were due to get married.......Then they had the phone call that people had moved in.....they had to go through the court process to get them out.... often these people have paid rent to another party and says its his...they have been court up in a fraud.

www.gov.uk/guidance/property-alert

I find this astonishing

I have read of this happening before. It has been going on for decades, probably centuries.

I do think, however, it is a lot easier these days, when we are not known to our solicitor or everyone in our community. It usually happens when people go away from home for a period, as this house owner did.

If you do that you need to set up formal arrangements to make sure that someone is in and out of the house at regular intervals to check it, that you have a full set of intruder alarms and you speak to our insurance company before you go, because they will advise you how best to protect your self in this situation.

I suspect that this owner, was away on work for six months or so, and just shut the door on the house, locked it and went away, with no extra checks or precautions.

When I did jury service, part of the long and complicated case hinged around the fact that a man had his identity stolen, and was driven almost to a breakdown trying to undo the damage the gang had done.
The kicker was that the man was a solicitor!

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this.
I listened to another case on the radio at the weekend.
They are gangs of people.
From what I heard solicitors will have to o further checks on the identity documents they are presented with.