Ensure your company is corporate identity theft PROOF…

12 April 2017

Companies House report that there are between 50 – 100 cases of corporate identity theft every month…

Fraudsters are known to hijack a company by changing the details of a limited company which leaves it vulnerable to further fraud, usually financial (for example, a loan being taken out in your company name or writing to your bank to request access to accounts)

The best way to protect yourself against anyone fraudulently changing your registered office or Director details is by joining the Companies House free PROOF scheme (PROtected Online Filing scheme). This scheme means that the filing of important documents can only be undertaken electronically using the Companies House portal – so should an unscrupulous individual attempt to file a document in paper format without your permission, the changes will be rejected.

Actions that are covered under PROOF include:

• changes to your registered office address
• changes to your officers (appointments, resignations or personal details)
• filing your annual return

Electronic filing can only be undertaken using a secure log in, the authentication codes for which can only be sent to your registered office – so where we act for you, you can rest assured that any limited company changes can only be undertaken by ourselves on your behalf.

You can also register with Companies House to receive email alerts for key submission dates. eReminders is a free service that reminds you in good time when your accounts and annual returns have to be filed. We sign up to e-Reminders for all Limited Company clients as a matter of course, but up to 4 email addresses can be included on the reminder, so if you wish us to add you to the list, please contact the office.