Thieves steal and sell house in identity fraud scam

Thieves have stolen a clergyman’s house while he was away and sold it without his knowledge. The Reverend Mike Hall returned to his Luton home in August to discover that his key would not fit the front door, a stranger was inside doing building work and all his furnishings had gone. An investigation by the BBC’s You and Yours programme discovered Hall’s identity had been stolen and used to sell the house and bank the proceeds. Hall was told by the police that it was a civil matter and there was nothing they could do. The BBC, meanwhile, found a duplicate driving licence and bank account set up in Hall’s name that had been used to sell the house and a phone recording of the thieves speaking to the solicitor. Bedfordshire Police’s fraud squad has now begun an investigation, but there have been no arrests. The Land Registry paid out a total of £3.5m in compensation for fraud last year. The Times (£) Daily Mail