Corporate identity theft


All companies are at risk


Corporate identity fraud costs businesses millions of pounds every year. Fraudsters can file false documents with Companies House to change details of your company’s directors and registered office – and then use this for criminal purposes.

Once in possession of your corporate identity, fraudsters can obtain goods and services in your company’s name, or trade illegally on the back of your good name and reputation.


If your corporate identity is stolen, you could face considerable hurdles – including correcting public records, repairing credit ratings and rebuilding confidence with suppliers and customers.

The main risks

All companies are at risk – however, those with less developed controls on information security are more vulnerable.

Unfortunately, anyone can send a form to change company details at Companies House. Companies House accepts all filings in good faith. It is unable to undertake any checks to verify their authenticity.

Once false information has been filed with Companies House, fraudsters can use a company's corporate identity to obtain goods and services on credit that are never paid for, or even trade on the good name and reputation of the genuine company.

Look after your corporate identity

  • Regularly check the registered details of your company and its directors.
  • Consider registering with Companies House for Protected Online Filing (PROOF) and subscribing to MONITOR, the service that issues an alert if any company information is changed.
  • Don't just rely on Companies House records when determining whether to provide goods or services to other businesses. Companies House maintains public records and is not a crime prevention or credit reference agency.
  • Cross-reference and validate Companies House information with other independent sources of information, such as trade associations, professional bodies and trusted internet sites. Remember that fraudsters can easily set up internet sites to back up their claims.
  • Visit the Companies House website.

Be careful what becomes public

Consider the information about your company that exists in the public domain. In particular, try to avoid showing unnecessary information on headed paper or websites. For example:

  • While you need to place your company number on invoices, there’s no need to put this on headed notepaper.
  • If you’re advertising the appointment of a new member of staff in the press, limit the amount of personal information you include to stop fraudsters abusing it.
  • Be wary of invitations to take part in business prize draws, as these can be an easy way for fraudsters to obtain potentially useful data on employees and your organisation.
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