Bridging specialist calls for clampdown on fraudulent documents

Bridging specialist calls for clampdown on fraudulent documents




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A leading short term loan specialist has spoken out this week against the availability of fake documents.

Speaking exclusively to Bridging & Commercial, Cheval CEO Alan Margolis condemned both the ready availability of such documents from firms operating on the Internet, and the fact that there has seemingly been no government effort to clamp down on the providers. 

“It’s nothing short of outrageous that there are people out there openly touting their willingness and ability to provide fake documentation such as bank statements, PAYE slips, utility bills and so on.

Some peddlers of these documents may euphemistically refer to them as ‘novelty’ documents – our description of them would be unprintable!” Mr Margolis said.

According to the bridging loan expert, there can be no reason why anyone would want these documents other than to deceive someone – in most cases, a lender – about their income, residence or status.

 

“Obtaining a mortgage by deception is a crime and we encourage the authorities to investigate whether these providers are potentially committing criminal offences themselves by aiding and abetting potential fraudsters.” Mr Margolis continued.

It has been suggested that at least one provider of these false documents even has an answered phone number to confirm non-existent employment, in order to wrong-foot lenders carrying out authentication checks.

Mr Margolis has called for action in stamping this practice out, saying: “The continued, seemingly untroubled existence, of these firms undermines the efforts of lenders to lend safely and responsibly and flies in the face of the FSA’s efforts to make the mortgage industry safer and better for all. Lenders should be up in arms about this matter and maybe the CML will be able to coordinate industry action to stamp this nonsense out.”

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