What can you do to protect yourself from property fraud?

Protecting yourself from property fraud involves taking proactive measures to protect your personal information and financial accounts, as well as monitoring your credit regularly. Some steps you can take to safeguard yourself include:

• Securing your personal information. This includes making sure to shred any documents with sensitive information, such as your National Insurance number or bank account numbers. Additionally, you should refrain from sharing or posting this information online.
• Register your property with the Land Registry if it still unregistered and ensure you always know the location of the original deeds, which should be kept in a fire-proof and water proof container, until the property is registered.
• If you own property but do not live there, ensure that the Land Registry have your up to date contact details noted on the register for service of any notices on you.
• Monitoring your credit. Request a free copy of your credit report from all three major credit bureaus at least once a year to make sure that you know what creditors have access to your information.
• Setting up alerts and notifications. Sign up for alerts and notifications from your bank and credit card accounts and with the Land Registry to monitor for any suspicious activity.
• Heed the warnings. If you receive any suspicious emails, calls, or letters, do not engage with them and contact the proper authorities.

Following these steps can help you to protect yourself from property fraud.

For more information, please contact our Conveyancing team on 0330 175 5655 or email info@bglaw.co.uk