WRITTEN ON October 21st, 2008 BY Richard S AND STORED IN Data nitwittery, Foundation of Trust, What do we want?

Tonight’s Channel 4 news carried a scary story: Apparently, criminals have been able to change the ownership details of properties contained on the UK government’s Land Registry; then take fraudulent mortgages and skip with the proceeds – leaving the real owners faced suddenly with repossession.

This sounds reminiscent of the scandal involving Companies House where criminals were able to change details of the directors and “officers” of companies and then perpetrate frauds “in the names of those companies” – leaving the real directors faced suddenly with debt collectors.

Both of these frauds relate to information which government demands be supplied by “victims”; which government demands payment (from the “victims”) for registering; but which the government agency’s lax processes allow criminals to use against the victims.

Needless to say, the government agencies take no responsibility.

Wibbi: The government collected only the minimum necessary information; treated it as “borrowed” from the subject – not “owned by government” – and treated it with more care.