New measures to protect directors against identity fraud

The government has introduced new measures to protect company directors from identity fraud after research showed they are twice as likely as other people to be targeted by criminals.

Until now, directors were required to register their personal address with Companies House.

The records are public documents, so the information is available to anyone.

This left directors vulnerable to fraudsters, who could use the information to steal their identity to make purchases online.

The new measures enable directors to remove their personal address from the company register and provide their business address instead.

Business Minister Andrew Griffiths said: “These new laws will protect new and existing business owners from potential harm and identity fraud, while ensuring we maintain our high standards of corporate transparency.”

Please contact Sing Li if you would like more information on the issues raised in this article, or any aspect of company law.