Companies House has new powers from this week to combat fraud.

These are measures under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 and include greater powers to query information and request supporting evidence, and stronger checks on company names and addresses – meaning firms won’t be able to use a PO Box as their registered office address.

There will also be a requirement for all companies to supply a registered email address and for a company to confirm its intended future activities will be lawful on its confirmation statement.

Additionally there will be greater powers for Companies House to remove factually inaccurate information, and share data with other government departments and law enforcement agencies.

New criminal offences and civil penalties will complement the measures.

Companies House chief executive Louise Smyth says: “We’ve known for some time that criminals have misused UK companies to commit fraud, money laundering and other forms of economic crime.

“As we start to crack down on abuse of the register, we are prioritising cases where people’s names and addresses have been used without their consent. It will now be much quicker and easier to report and remove personal information that has been misused.”

And business minister Kevin Hollinrake – who set up Hunters agency chain before becoming a Tory MP – says: “Companies House now have the tools to take a much harder line on criminals who take advantage of the UK’s open economy and can now ensure the reputation of our businesses is not tarnished by the UK playing host to the world’s scammers.

“The new reforms, which come into effect today, provide further protection to the public from companies fraudulently using their address and will begin to remove the smoke and mirrors around companies hiding behind false information. This will enhance the UK’s reputation as a great and safe place to do business.”