shareofhouse

Hi James I wasn't aware of it either until, after receiving the letter from the DVLA that alerted me to a fraudster using my address for a driving licence, I did a bit of googling (see below). I would have hoped that all Southwark Councillors would have been told by someone about this though! Here's a BBC report: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-206424290 and this - DVLA bans councils from database over abuses - on http://www.democraticunderground.com/10882853 and there's WIkipedia: - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Borough_of_Southwark - which says that the ban on Southwark accessing the DVLA database is permanent, indicating that the abuses were so serious the DVLA doesn't think that Southwark can ever be entrusted with access again. There were other Councils subject to the same penalty. I do think the public, and especially people who've had their addresses stolen for use by criminals, are really entitled to know what's been going on, so thank you for offering to find out and let us know.

Please could you say if you know why Southwark Council has been banned from accessing the records of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA)? This was reported in the local press a few months ago, but I can't find any specific information on the web to what abuses were going on. Were any staff disciplined or sacked as a result? Could you say also if Southwark has been banned temporarily or permanently? I discovered that a driving licence was issued to a fraudster using my address and am very concerned about this, especially as I have now read more about what these forged licences/identities have been used for in London. Thanks.

I would be grateful to hear if anyone else locally (and particularly in Southwark borough) has discovered that a fraudster has managed to get a driving licence issued using their address. As driving licences are one of the few documents (along with passports) accepted as proof of identity for supposedly the most secure transactions in our lives, eg CRB checks, opening of bank accounts, etc. I was rather shocked to find that a full licence had been issued at my address to a person who has never lived here and of whom I have never heard. I have also had fraudulent credit applications made in my name and in fraudsters' names. When I called the DVLA to ask how this could have happened, they told me to send back to them the document which they sent to my address, through which I learned that they had issued a driving licence to a fraudster. I didn't send it back, as it was the only proof I had that this had happened. I did send them a oomplaint and a request for an explanation but I haven't had a response to my complaint. I noticed that a few months ago, Southwark and Lambeth Councils had their access to the DVLA database stopped and this has led me to wonder if this is connnected to the fraud that has happened using my address. It was news to me that council employees were allowed to access this anyway, as it obviously is going to compromise the security of your data. I would be very intersted to know if this has happened to anyone else locally and to hear from anyone who knows what abuses led to Southwark and Lambeth councils being banned from having access to the DVLA database.