Universal Smart Cards Limited welcomed Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Minister for Criminal Information, the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police to their offices as part of a 4-week consultation to help clamp down on identity crime.

New laws could be introduced later this year to crack down on companies who supply printing equipment to identity fraudsters.  The UK suffer £2.7 billion costs each year to indentity crime. Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Minister for Criminal Information said “Identity crime affects us all. Whether it is a cloned credit card or fraudulant passport, organised gangs use specialist equipment to extort money and identities from millions of innocent people each year.”

The proposed new laws aim to erradiate misuse of printing equipment which is being sold to fraudsters for producing counterfeits of credit cards and government issued documents including passports and driving licences.

Universal Smart Cards are long standing members of the industry-wide voluntary code of conduct developed by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and industry representatives as part of Project Genesius. Universal support the Metropolitan Police’s initiative to prevent the sales of equipment for illegal purposes.

Deyrick Allen, Sales & Marketing Manager said “There are a high number of unscrupulous individuals who try to buy equipment to forge credit cards and identity documents. We get two to three requests a week from across the globe for equipment but they are clearly not legitimate. New laws would enable the police and prosecutors to stop criminals making a quick buck out of forged documents.”

For further information please see this short film produced by the Home Office. For Video click here.

Pictured (left to right): Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Minister for Criminal Information, Deyrick Allen, Universal Smart Cards Limited & Gary McManus, Project Genesius, Metropolitan Police