People-finding website 192.com has uncovered widespread fraud and deception in the UK. The site polled 2,000 Brits[2] finding half of the respondents to have fabricated fundamental aspects of their life, including: their address, age, relationship status, job and financial solvency.
The poll found that one in 10 fake their address, 18% change their age, 28% have not been truthful about their salary or debt, and that one in five had fabricated their online profile.
192.com’s survey also found that 45 per cent had been conned when dealing with other people, with 12 per cent being conned by a tradesman. Paradoxically, 10% of respondents said they would be untruthful to make money.
These findings have prompted 192.com to launch the first ever online Background Reports service for UK residents, offering protection from deception and fraud. The Background Reports detail residential histories and cohabitees, negative financial indicators, property ownership, and company director information.
The reports will help thwart the growing problem of online dishonesty and fraud, as evidenced by Facebook’s disclosure of up to 83 million faked accounts,[3] by the sharing of official, public data.
Dominic Blackburn, Head of Product at 192.com, said: “By putting the official record into public hands, the Background Reports will offer protection from the deception that can occur in a range of circumstances, from employing a tradesman to work on your home, to renting a room, or going on a date.”
Insolvency records and county court judgments in the Background Reports will reveal unpaid debts, and mortality data will help expose identities stolen from the deceased. Address information will show details of where someone lives, has lived previously, and who with.
The reports launch as the Government’s anti-fraud indicator records fraud costing individuals 9.1 billion a year. This figure is based on estimates of the scale of fraud which includes mass-marketing fraud, identity fraud, online ticket fraud and private rental property fraud.
192.com’s Background Reports will also counter romance fraud. According to Action Fraud, romance fraud grew by 33% in 2012[4] and a Leicester University study in 2011 found that up to 200,000 people in the UK had been victims of dodgy dates. Among those surveyed by the University, one in 50 knew a victim.[5]
Dominic Blackburn says: “192.com Background Reports make people think twice before lying about themselves, either in a transactional or personal situation, and encourage a safer online environment. As a company with a history of reuniting people, this new service is about reassuring them.”
[1] National Fraud Authority’s June 2013 Fraud Indicator Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/206552/nfa-annual-fraud-indicator-2013.pdf
[2] The survey was conducted by One Poll. The nationally representative sample was of 2000 adults, with responses broken up by age, gender and location. The poll was conducted online on the 19th of April 2013.
[3] Facebook profiles: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/aug/02/facebook-83m-profiles-bogus-fake
[4] Action Fraud stats disclosed to 192.com: There were 987 reported cases of dating or romance fraud in 2012, 248 more than the previous year.
[5] Fraud in 2011 according to the University of Leicester
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15093293
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