The Right DA Club is to offer member firms virtual Mortgage Application Fraud & Quality Masterclasses to help identify potentially fraudulent activity in the course of their client work.

With the first session taking place online via Zoom in December, the Masterclasses will show advisers how to efficiently spot fraud during the mortgage application process and how they can also improve the quality of the cases they submit to lenders.

Written, designed and delivered by financial crime specialist, Sally Waddingham, from Unity Financial Crime Services, the Masterclasses will share her 30 years of expertise and knowledge in this area.

The session concentrates on interactive case studies, false document examples and guidance around required due diligence and good practice.

Topics to be covered include identifying income fraud and spotting ‘red flags’ to take relevant action, plus detailed insight into Identification and Verification to meet regulatory requirements and to help spot false identify fraud.

The Masterclasses will also look at the impact of Consumer Duty in this area, particularly how client vulnerability can be linked to fraudulent activity, plus Sally will provide hints and tips on Cyber Security within advisers’ businesses, protecting individuals and their clients.

The session will last approximately four hours, and supporting documentation with a CPD certificate will be supplied at the end.

Chelsea Kiefert, head of The Right DA Club, said: “Anyone working in the mortgage industry is aware of the increased threat of fraud, particularly when there can be such large sums of money involved, should those fraud attempts be ‘successful’.

“It’s therefore absolutely vital that both individual advisers, and the firms they work for, are able to spot potential fraudulent activity and they have the right processes and systems in place to protect themselves.

“We are delighted to be able to put on these Masterclass sessions and have Sally Waddingham give all those who take part a wealth of knowledge, information and support, on what to look out for, the ways and means by which a fraudster might use a mortgage application, and how best to protect everyone involved from such threats.

“This will count towards CPD and it will focus on tangible examples and case studies highlighting exactly the ways and means by which fraud can be perpetrated and also how advisers and firms can utilise that knowledge to deliver better quality applications to lenders.

“This is clearly a very important subject to be delving into, and attending could mean the difference between being on the wrong end of this criminal activity or stopping it at source.”