Under the proposals unveiled by the Home Office yesterday (4 March) it could become a criminal offence for manufacturers or suppliers to provide specialist printing equipment, such as plastic card printers, hot foiling machines and ultra violet inks, either deliberately or negligently, to those involved in identity fraud.
Anyone found guilty of not carrying out what would be considered under the new legislation as ‘reasonable checks’ or of 'knowingly' supplying criminals with equipment that would enable them to commit identity fraud, could be imprisoned for up to 10 years.
The government has launched a four-week consultation to gather evidence and input from members of the specialist printing industry and could introduce new legislation off the back of that later this year.
The move is a result of Project Genesius, a partnership between the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and the printing industry that has lobbied for legislation to reduce criminals' access to the equipment they need to produce fake identity documents and follows a rise in identity crime across the UK which, according to the latest National Fraud Authority (NFA) figures, cost the country at least £2.7bn in 2010 and affected around 1.8m people.
UK-based smart card printer and printing equipment manufacturer Universal Smart Cards has been working with Project Genesius and sales manager Deyrick Allen said his company received at least two or three requests per week from companies within and outside the UK that were "clearly not legitimate" and were looking to buy equipment.
"There are a high number of unscrupulous individuals who try to buy equipment to forge credit cards and identity documents," he added.
"New laws will enable the police and prosecutors to stop criminals making a quick buck out of forged documents."
Launched in 2007 Project Genesius produced a Code of Conduct to which specialist printing equipment suppliers can sign up, committing to maintain transaction records, profile their customers and refuse to supply them if their legitimacy is doubted.
But detective superintendent Nick Downing from MPS Specialist and Economic Crime Command, said:
"Despite the success of this partnership, organised criminal groups are still able to buy specialist equipment from some companies without any questions being asked. This cannot continue. This proposed legislation will prevent the sale of such equipment to criminal groups and give the police the power to take action against those who disregard it."
Launching the consultation minister for criminal information Lord Taylor of Holbeach said: "Identity crime affects us all. Whether it is a cloned credit card or fraudulent passport, organised gangs use specialist equipment to extort money and identities from millions of innocent people each year.
"Not only do the public suffer from billions of pounds worth of fraud each year, but false identity documents also help criminals to avoid the law and safeguard their ill-gotten gains.
"The government has listened to the specialist printing industry and police. Now is the time to clamp down on rogue firms and put robust penalties in place for those who supply specialist equipment to fraudsters."
Anyone wanting to take part in the consultation should carry out this survey.
