Director fraud could be greater than previously thought

New data suggest that as many as 33,675 companies could have fraudulent directors who are unable to prove their identity.

There has long been concern that the governance of Companies House data was inadequate and allowed widespread financial crime and money laundering. In part to tackle these problems, Companies House has overhauled its registration process. Since November 2025, valid photo ID such as a passport or driving licence have been required to verify their identities.

An analysis of Companies House filings by enterprise software group Shareflo suggests the scale of director fraud in the UK may be materially greater than previously understood. It found that since the new identity-verification requirements came in there has been a rise in the number of companies going over one month overdue with their annual filings. It identified 33,675 such companies.

Looking at more than three million active, non-dormant private companies, Shareflo found that overdue confirmation statements rose sharply in the first year of the regime, particularly for companies between one and twelve months late.

Using historical data and accepting that short delays were often administrative mistakes, the number of companies one to twelve months late rose by 138.5% in a year. The pattern is especially striking because the increase is concentrated in the period where identity verification should be binding.

The companies in the unresolved group are disproportionately concentrated in sectors including accommodation and food services, transport and storage, wholesale and retail, and construction – sectors where fraud tends to be most common.

You can find the full report here: https://www.shareflo.co.uk/research/uk-director-fraud?downloaded=1#download

If you need help with Companies House or have concerns over suppliers, please get in contact. We’re here to help.