I had a letter from them today correct name on the letter wrong on the details in it, I had a quick look on google and found their website and this on a gov dept website still not convinced follow the links below Ding www.ftb-ltd.com/ New death records scheme to tackle identity fraud | Home Office New death records scheme to tackle identity fraud 23 December 2008 A new scheme will bring an end to a cruel type of identity fraud that can devastate grieving families and cost businesses millions of pounds a year. Finance firms have hailed the scheme which releases the names of every person who has died in the UK each week as a pivotal step in the fight against fraudsters impersonating the dead. This type of fraud takes many forms - from criminals stealing the identities of dead people from obituaries for forged credit applications, to dishonest family members claiming pensions long after their relative has died. A common form of identity theft Identity fraud protection service CIFAS believes this is one of Britain's most common forms of identity theft. The government estimates the cost of identity fraud to the UK economy is at least £1.2billion. Since September the UK's three Registrars General have released around 140,000 death records to carefully vetted organisations to match against their clients' databases. Already 10s of thousands of matches have been made against business records helping to prevent potential frauds. One subscriber to the scheme administered by the General Register Office (GRO) estimates that at least one in 400 pensions are being claimed fraudulently by families despite their relatives having been dead for many years. Mortality checks have even found a case where a woman was found claiming her aunt's pension to pay a mortgage on a house 10 years after the old woman had died at the age of 98. In another case, a pension company was informed their client had died six weeks before the family informed them, allowing them to stop payment immediately. Statement from the Home Office Minister Meg Hillier said, 'The use of death records in this way will have a dramatic impact on fraudsters abusing people's deaths - a crime which causes financial and personal distress to both businesses and individuals alike. 'We're sending a strong message to criminals: if you try and steal the identity of someone who has died to commit fraud you will be found out.' Four firms have already been accredited to receive death register information with around a dozen more going through the stringent licensing process. Businesses can then submit records such as pension claims, insurance claims and credit applications to the licensees to find out if an individual is deceased. Statement from the Faraday Tracing Bureau Faraday Tracing Bureau (FTB), a pioneer of mortality screening, has been carrying out checks for nearly 10 years and is one of the original four firms to be accredited by the GRO. It conducts mortality checks for over 200 well-known pension funds. FTB sales director Chris Rattenbury, said, 'Firms undertaking mortality screening were finding on average that one in four hundred pensions were being claimed fraudulently sometimes for as long as 10 years.' 'This new process will stop this kind of fraud completely. Pension schemes will be saving huge sums of money not only in fraudulent claims but also in administration costs.' A deterrent to would-be fraudsters Tracesmart Ltd, another of the original firms to be accredited, supplies mortality screening to major financial institutions and pension schemes. Michael Trezise, managing director of Tracesmart, said, 'This is proving to be a pivotal weapon in the battle against fraud. We've identified a considerable volume of deaths within our client's customer databases, which allows them to prevent the deceased's identity from being used for fraud- protecting both company and customer alike. 'As more and more companies begin to use this data, we are confident that the level of this fraud will significantly drop. Simply the knowledge that death record information is being used to tackle fraud is a considerable deterrent to would-be fraudsters.' Statement from the UK's Fraud Prevention Service Peter Hurst, chief executive of CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service said, 'The number of individuals affected continues to be far too high. Identity fraud is serious, and no-one should be complacent about it which is why this initiative is so important in helping to stamp it out. 'Quite apart from financial losses, the effect on victims can be very distressing. In the case of impersonation of the dead, the effect on bereaved relatives can be devastating. And where any victim's identity has been seriously compromised, it can be an extremely time-consuming and frustrating process to untangle the threads of deception.' Statement from the National Association of Pension Funds Keith Hollender, commercial director of the National Association of Pension Funds, which speaks for 1,200 pension schemes with assets of around £800 billion said, 'The decision by the GRO to release names held on the death register is welcomed by pension schemes. For many years, scheme managers have struggled to find an effective way to make sure they receive prompt notification of a member's death. 'Genuine mistakes, for example when relatives forget to tell the scheme that a member has died, and deliberate fraud can cost pension schemes and insurers millions of pounds both in terms of monthly cash outlays and incorrect valuations of liabilities. 'This decision will help minimise costs and has made the administration of pension funds much easier.' Notes to editors Death registration information has been released under the Disclosure of Death Registration Information (DDRI) scheme since the end of September. The Police and Justice Act 2006 conferred powers on the General Register Office (GRO) for England & Wales and its counterpart in Northern Ireland, whilst GRO in Scotland take their powers from the Local Electoral Administration and Registration Services (Scotland) Act 2006. The three Registrars General supply bulk information contained in any register of deaths to organisations for use in the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of offences. GRO became a part of the Identity and Passport Service (new window) (IPS), an agency of the Home Office in April 2008. Four organisations have been accredited to receive the information from the GRO: Tracesmart Ltd, Synectics Solutions Ltd, Experian Ltd and Faraday Tracing Bureau Ltd. Each firm has a binding licence agreement and will be subject to a compliance regime to ensure the information is used appropriately. A number of firms are undergoing the accreditation process. Approximately 12,000 records a week are made available to the four organisations. For more information about the death registration scheme log on to the General Register Office (new window) website. For more information call the Home Office press office on 020 7035 3819 or the newsdesk on 020 7035 3535.