Did You Hear The One About The Luton Vicar & Property Fraud?
- Emma Selfridge Lawyer
- Nov 30, 2023
- 2 min read
Updated: May 15, 2024
Do you own property that you do NOT live in? You should consider protecting your property from fraud and criminals via Land Registry. This is vital if you are a property investor or have inherited property not local to you. Speak to a Conveyancer to discuss your options. You can also liaise directly with Land Registry as they are a public body.
Don't get caught out like the Vicar from Luton. Working away from home for a time but returns to find his home sold on without his knowledge. All his belongings gone. His home being altered without his consent. He received NONE of the sale proceeds. The poor buyer was oblivious to the fraud. This was widely reported by BBC, and others, at the time.
HM Land Registry are able to register a Property Alert to protect your home. You need to ask them to do this. It is NOT automatic.
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Make sure to keep your details up to date at Land Registry in case they need to contact you in an emergency or to confirm that someone has made s an application against your property.
Read the BBC articles here about the Luton Vicar who lost his home ...
November 2021 - Initial Reports
October 2022 - Still Fighting to Recover His Property
The scams are incredibly sophisticated and many have been duped. Another common scam is where criminals target homebuyers by email telling them they work for their law firm and need deposit monies but the bank details have changed. The email will look like it comes from your Law firm. The fraudster then requests that the buyers transmit funds to a different bank account. In reality, your law firm will never change banks in the middle of your transaction.
Remember also that your title deeds at Land Street are publicly available documents that anyone may download for a small fee. Criminals use this when impersonating people or trying to perpetrate identity fraud.
Contact your Conveyancer or Land Registry now to ensure you are protected against these common scams and to discuss registering a restriction against your title to thwart both identity and property fraud. You should also go online and register for Land Registry’s Property Alert system. You can do this without a Conveyancer and it is free.
For more hints and tips on protecting yourself, have a look at the government’s Action Fraud website.
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