Are You A Company Director At Risk Of Fraud?

In a recent article published in The Daily Telegraph, it was revealed that 9,769 complaints were made to Companies House from company directors worried about their personal data being on view ...

If you're a company director, you may be shocked to know what information is available about you via Companies House!

356 of those people said that, as a result, they had been a victim of fraud. So, how is this arising? Under the Companies Act, directors have to disclose to The Registrar of Companies their service address (for correspondence), residential address and date of birth. It is undoubtedly a positive that the residential address is not made public online, but how many directors give the same address for both service and residential?

How many times are those directors then asked for their name, date of birth and the first line of their address when calling up a service provider? So, you can see instantly the information a fraudster can easily obtain on a director.

I can now see directors rushing online to change their service address, but I am sorry to report to them that once a residential address has been provided as a service address it will still be shown in the filing history.

There may also be some previous directors of even dissolved companies who are thinking it doesn't apply to them, but yes it does, the filing history of dissolved companies is still online.

So, what do those directors and former directors do? Well, fortunately, there is an application form which can be found here, but it will cost £55 per document. Gulp (!) go all the directors of many years and many different companies!

I am hoping that there are not many Essendon clients making up the 76% because here at Essendon we offer our address as a company registered office address which in turn can be linked to be the director's service address.

"We also offer a company formation service to ensure the addresses are correct from day one!"

If you'd like to find out more about being a company director, company formation or are worried about your details being publically available then do give me a call on 01908 774320 or click here to ping me an email and let's see how I can help you.

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More about Roger Eddowes ...

Roger trained at Edward Thomas Peirson & Sons in Market Harborough before working at Hartwell & Co, followed by Chancery, as a partner. He started Essendon Accounts and Tax with Helen Beaumont in 2014 as a general practitioner with a hands-on approach.

Roger loves getting his hands dirty, working with emerging, small-to-medium and family businesses to ensure they receive the best possible accountancy advice. Roger utilises an extensive network of business contacts to leverage the best guidance and practical solutions.

Are You A Company Director At Risk Of Fraud?

Companies House has received many complaints ...