TOUGH new rules are set to be put in place by Islington Council to stop rogue traders hiding behind postal forwarding addresses.<br>In the past fraudsters have been able to pose as legitimate Islington companies by abusing "accommodation addresses" in the borough.<br>These are addresses where post is sent but then forwarded on to another address, which can be many miles away or even in another country.<br>At the moment providers of accommodation addresses are not obliged to keep records of their clients, which can make it hard for Trading Standards to investigate complaints.<br>But now strict measures, which are being rolled out across London, are to be agreed by the council's Executive will tighten up record-keeping and make it harder for fraudsters to hide.<br>Cllr James Kempton, Leader of Islington Council, said: "We're determined to make sure rogue traders have nowhere to hide in Islington, to protect our residents, customers and Islington's good name.<br>"This abuse happens all over the UK and has cost a lot of trusting people a lot of money.<br>"These tough new rules should make Islington a no-go area for these rip-off merchants."<br>The potential abuse of accommodation addresses was highlighted by the recent case of SOS Master Tickets, which used an Islington accommodation address and "disappeared" after failing to provide hundreds of people with tickets for music festivals.<br>Many legitimate businesses also use accommodation addresses, which are entirely legal.<br>The new proposed rules include a rule that accommodation address providers must register with the council and keep detailed records of clients, including documents to prove their identity and address, and addresses where post is forwarded.<br>Islington Council's Executive Committee will adopt the new rules when they meet on September 11.
Page Last Updated: 17 December 2009