Register manipulation

Register manipulation

This thematic analysis from NTAES describes how public registers can be manipulated and misused in profit-motivated crime. The report explains how false or misleading information in central registers enables shell companies, straw persons and misuse of identities, and how this in turn provides a platform for further offences.

The analysis is aimed at register-holding agencies, the police, tax authorities, banks and other entities that rely on register data to make decisions and fulfil their duties. It contributes to a shared understanding of why register quality is a prerequisite for effective prevention, supervision and investigation.

Response

The report describes typical patterns of manipulation, discusses weaknesses that can be exploited and points to measures that can strengthen the reliability of registers. NTAES emphasises that cooperation between register owners, users and control authorities, together with the use of modern data analysis, is central to reducing the opportunities for misuse.