Fluent thwarts fraud attempt

The applicant asked for a loan of £40,000 and had passed the standard checks, with the system, developed by TrustID, flagging the licence as fake.

Fluent thwarts fraud attempt

Fluent Money was able to thwart a fraudster using a fake driving licence thanks to investing in ID scanning technology last year.

The applicant asked for a loan of £40,000 and had passed the standard checks.

But the technology, developed by TrustID, flagged the licence as fake and the loan was refused.

Tim Wheeldon, chief operating officer at Fluent Money, said: “Our responsibility as a partner to the lenders we support is to ensure good quality applicants.

“Without Trust ID’s technology, we may have unwittingly allowed a fraud to take place. As brokers and distributors, everyone has the same responsibility to ensure that we do everything we can to stop fraudsters.

“Trust ID’s system gives us, and our lenders, peace of mind and I would urge every master broker and distributor to make the same investment. It works!”

Tony Machin, chief executive of Trust ID, said: “Fraudsters are becoming more sophisticated and we all need to be increasingly vigilant.

“A fake ID document can look authentic and to the naked eye may be indistinguishable from the real thing.

“It is only by scanning and validating the documents at a deeper level, that you can check whether they are genuine. Identity fraud is growing exponentially and lenders are vulnerable, particularly where they rely on third parties to authenticate documentation without the kind of scanning equipment that Fluent Money uses.”