1. WPLA study on fraud prevention in online land registers Jon Atkey, United Kingdom UNECE WPLA, Baku, 4-5 March 2010

2. HM Land Registry England and Wales 2 WPLA study on fraud prevention –The fraud survey n Questionnaire sent to 36 countries n To identify good practice in the detection and prevention of fraud in land registration systems in UNECE countries n Report with 4 main sections: –Accessibility of land registration systems –Experience of fraud –Measures to coutrer-act fraud –Good practice n Confidential n 26 responses from 24 member states

3. HM Land Registry England and Wales 3 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Accessibility of land administration systems n All jurisdictions provide public access n All jurisdictions have electronic systems n Most provide cadastral data or excerpts from the register online n Most limit information available online n Most customise services for different customer types (more available for professional users) n Most require applicants to register n Limited access for anonymous users

4. HM Land Registry England and Wales 4 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Experience of fraud n Most say fraud is not a problem n However, only half say they identify attempted fraud and monitor trends n Most see no increase in fraud with introduction of new electronic services

5. HM Land Registry England and Wales 5 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Measures to counteract fraud – national strategies n Many have preventative methods in place: –Electronic signatures –Staff training –Customer verification n Some have recently introduced successful counter-measures n Discovery usually during application processing or after registration when affected parties complain n Most continually review their counter-measures n Most are aware of need and liaise with other national authorities n Nearly half have special counter-fraud training for staff

6. HM Land Registry England and Wales 6 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Measures to counteract fraud – compensation schemes n Most have compensation schemes n The majority of these monitor compensation payments to help their anti-fraud strategy n Half are able to pursue fraudsters for reimbursement n However, most find recovery difficulty and have limited success

7. HM Land Registry England and Wales 7 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Measures to counteract fraud – international collaboration n Most think a region-wide strategy would prove more successful n Doubters are generally those who report little or no fraud in their systems n Spread of best practice and cross-border assistance in combating fraud generally welcome

8. HM Land Registry England and Wales 8 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Good practice (Page 1 of 2) n Online security –Secure connections and strong authentication –Electronic signature for e-registration services n Know your customer –General public must open an account or register their details in order to obtain information from the internet. –Or produce identification if making a request for information in person. –Customise for different customer types n Limits for anonymous users –Information made available to the general public is limited to the most basic information, and no documents including a signature are released n Staff training –All personnel involved in the registration process receive training in recognition of potential fraudulent applications.

9. HM Land Registry England and Wales 9 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Good practice (page 2 of 2) n System controls –Audit trail of personnel involved in registration systems to prevent internal fraud. n Lenders contacted to verify authenticity when applications for discharge are lodged by laypeople. n Identity checks carried out for all substantive applications lodged by laypeople. n Monitor fraud and attempted fraud n Continual review and evaluation of anti-fraud measures - particularly when new or revised processes are introduced. n Co-operation with other authorities to combat registration fraud – e.g. law enforcement agencies.

10. HM Land Registry England and Wales 10 WPLA study on fraud prevention –Timetable n March 2010 – Bureau discussion, presentation of provisional findings to WPLA workshop n April – June 2010 – Additional countries, follow-up research, comments from Bureau members and survey respondents n July 2010 – Completion of study n Autumn 2010 – Translation and publication –More completed questionnaires welcome!