Following an investigation by the Observer newspaper it has been revealed just how quick and easy it is for criminals to purchase fake payslips via the Internet and then go on to commit mortgage fraud.

A reporter from the newspaper said that getting a fake payslip was as easy as clicking a few buttons and making a payment of £35. She said that she was then in a position to commit mortgage fraud to the value of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

It is claimed that there are many websites that are now selling these fake, but high quality documents, which can then be used as proof of earnings to banks, mortgage lenders, and estate agents.

Mortgage lenders are now under increased pressure from the Financial Services Authority to ensure that they obtain proof of earning from applicants, and this has resulted in a rising number of people using these sites to obtain fake proof of earnings.

The reporter said that she simply typed ‘fake payslips’ into the Google search engine, and a number of sites came up. The site that she went onto said that the company could provide genuine Inland Revenue approved payslips for those struggling to get a mortgage loan. She said she was able to order the payslips she wanted with ease after providing a few details, and they arrived by post just a few days later.

Dominic Green, who runs a website that offers these services, said that the payslips offered by his company were novelty items and not intended to be used for fraudulent purposes.

He said: “The terms clearly state that work is produced for novelty purposes. What the client does with the work is their business. It is easy to assume that all clients who come through the website use the documents in relation to fraud. However, there are lots of cases where clients are self-employed and don’t issue themselves payslips and need quality replacements or where clients have online banking accounts and they don’t receive paper copies of their bank accounts.”

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