Dear all,

My younger brother has been the victim of identity fraud. It has destroyed his life. We need better protection against these crimes - no one should ever have to go through what he has experienced.

He has had hundreds of credit applications, businesses opened, purchases made using accounts opened fraudulently in his name. He has fought for months to reclaim his identity and the toll this has taken on his mental health is huge.

Identity theft/fraud costs the UK millions every year but more importantly, the mental and emotional impact to the victims of identity fraud is catastrophic. More needs to be done to protect the UK population and to support the victims of crimes involving fraud.

I have already made contact with our local MP but my quest is not just for my brother - I want to help all UK residents who could fall victim to these crimes. I need your support to be able to make real change. What we need to do it:

A. Change the law to make it easier to report fraud and for identity fraud to be recognised as a reportable crime that is investigated as any other criminal offense would be;

B. Ensure that financial institutes and other organisations that use our personal information are regulated to protect us from 'modern day' fraud;

C. Ensure that government systems support financial services in terms of identification checks on official government documents such as passports and driving licenses.

My brother’s life has been flipped upside down overnight because someone stole his identity. He is still fighting to reclaim his identity and prove to the banks what has happened. This can happen to anyone. Let's start fighting back!!

Thank you in advance,

Lissa Henry