Credit Card Scam - UK members advice please

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Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

I need advice about a scam disclosed to me by my Lithuanian cleaning lady.

She lives in a house in UK shared with Latvian and Russian tenants - the latter who are here with false ID - apparently many people here who claim to be Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian are actually from Ukraine and Russia on false docs and therefore here illegally. Anyway she told me that her Russian flatmates have forged ID and are applying for UK credit cards which they always get - with credit limits of up to £6000.

They then go shopping and buy laptops, moblie phones and Ipods and sell them to other Eastern Europeans at 30% of the price they paid - then they go back to their country leaving the credit card bill unpaid.

I asked my cleaner how can they get away with this and she told me it is widely known in Eastern Europe that UK is the best place to go to defraud as it is so easy to get credit on false ID here - we are seen as a very soft touch

I am really really annoyed that we are being openly taken for a ride - I am thinking of what I can do to stop this - can any members please help

Annoying Stuck-Up Cow Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 222

Here's what little advice I could give you. One action could be to inform the police in the hopes that they believe you and stop at least those tenants. The problem is that it is unlikely the police will be able to do anything, because it's just something you heard. And also, you run the risk of getting on your housekeeper's bad side.
Another approach would be to talk to your MP (either by email, phone or popping in their next surgery), and asking them what can be done. This is probably the most you will be able to do.

This is about all I can think of doing, the problem is in these matters is that it's hard to do anything individually, short of telling the police if there's real evidence. I guess we'll just have to wait until better anti-fraud devices are put in place.

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 9:26 pm

http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/

Try them.
You can email or phone.

You don't have to give your name or any personal details if you don't want to.

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

^^^Thank you both for your responses.

I cant call the police/crimestoppers as I dont even have an addy for my cleaner - contact is by mobile phone only ( dont even ask they all have something to hide in my experience) so therefore no way of finding crims

Nevertheless the real issue here - as far as I can see - is how a false ID can obtain a credit card with a hefty balance - apparently it is not as easy to get this elsewhere in Europe

I am thinking of contacting the FSA ( Financial Services Agency) to ascertain how we can limit credit lines to non UK citizens without a credit history - again any ideas would be very welcome and surely other EU countries who are not seen as a soft touch must have processes from which we can learn

Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 10:07 pm

Sorry to tell you this but the FSA won't help one bit. At the end of the day, if a card company wants to give someone who doesn't have a financial history in the UK a card, it's down to them.

My advice is to get an address for your cleaner. If you're employing her you should have her details anyway as a legal requirement.
Also, try discreetly pumping her for a little more information and see what comes up. Wth what you've got at the moment, there's not a lot you can do.

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:34 am

I'd try to get the address where they're living, then tell Immigration. Using false id papers to gain entry is a criminal offence, and they'll be deported after conviction and sentence, probably. That'll put a crimp in their laptop sales.

UK Border Agency Contact Centres: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/contact/contactspage/contactcentres/

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

^^^Good thinking I will contact them.
- she lives in rented accommodation and seems to move every few months - I did have an original address but I never kept up with her moves.

It just realy annoys me that financial institutions here are so easy to defraud and apparently well known for it, I thought FSA might be worth contacting.

In my opinion an easy solution might be to limit all new credit cards applicants without any credit history (as was the case here)to a minimal balance for say the first x months to establish that they did in fact pay back money borrowed.

In the case I mentioned the entire £6k balance was run up within a month of obtaining the card.

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 6:24 pm

You really should have a current address for her in any case. I wouldn't be happy to let someone have the free run of my home, and probably have the keys also, if all that I had for them was a (probably pay-as-you go) mobile telephone number.

If you want to be discrete about it you could get some legal looking document such as a tenancy agreement or a will from WH Smiths, and say that you need her to witness your signature on the last page.

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

^^^ I am going to get her latest address this week - the thing is she lives in shared rented so does move a fair bit - she doesnt have any keys as I am here when she comes - shes been cleaning for me for 3 years and never had a problem with her but dont like the sound of the company she keeps

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 10:23 pm

Once you have an address, calling in Immigration is probably the quickest way to deal with any illegals living there but if the problem is as widespread as you say it will be a tiny victory. To be honest, if greedy credit card companies are issuing cards to people without conducting even basic checks like ID, nationality and credit history then they deserve to get burned. Unfortunately the genuine customers pay for other people's criminal activities via high interest rates and fees.

Adamu's soulmate Joined: 23 Nov 2007 Posts: 337

Gnasher
Thanks for your reply. I agree with all you say and most of all that the majority of honest citizens pay for the actions of the crims - I still want to do something to stop UK being the soft touch - i.e if other countries dont allow such easy access to credit then surely we can learn from them

Posted: Sun Jul 20, 2008 11:03 pm

I knew a young Polish lady (she really is Polish!) who had two false Polish ID cards, as well as her own real one, and obtained credit cards exactly as outlined above. She did not use them fraudulently but apparently sold them and the ID cards to other people who did so.

Quite how the CC issuers can be so lax in their checking is beyond me, and it pees me off big time because as others have stated, innocent people end up footing the bill for all this. Fortunately I don't as I pay off all my my credit cards in full at the end of each cycle, but many of us are not so fortunate and those who pay high interest rates have my sympathy.

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