Action Against Illegal Address Registration

The Swedish Tax Agency is taking measures against an illegal method used by criminals.

Home is a place where people want to feel safe and secure. However, many people in Sweden have been affected by a very unsettling problem related to their home addresses.

Recently, there has been an increasing number of reports that criminals are registering themselves at other people’s addresses, according to Swedish Radio (SR).

This illegal method is used by criminals to conceal their actual place of residence. Not only is this disturbing, but it can also be dangerous for the legitimate residents, who risk being subjected to threats and violence.

Innocent People at Risk

There have been instances of shootings at addresses where criminals were falsely registered. This puts innocent people at risk.

To combat this issue, the Swedish Tax Agency is now intensifying its efforts. Investigations into incorrect address registrations are being prioritized.

“If there is a threat, violence, or harm involved, we prioritize it highly. Gang-related crimes fall under this category, and we aim to act quickly,” said Pontus Hesselheim, Head of the Population Register at the Swedish Tax Agency, to the radio channel.

New Measures to Prevent Fraudulent Registrations

When a person is registered at an address where they do not actually live, the Swedish Tax Agency now has the authority to change the person’s address during the investigation so that only the name of the municipality is displayed until the correct address is determined.

Since this measure was allowed, it has been applied to 19,000 individuals, according to the radio channel.

This summer, the Swedish Tax Agency also started contacting the current residents of an address when someone new attempts to register there.

“This is really a hope and ambition to prevent incorrect address registration, now that we can actually verify this,” Pontus Hesselheim told SR.

New Service Launched

The problem of criminals registering at other people’s addresses has caused significant concern among those fearful of becoming victims.

This concern has led Hitta.se to launch a service that sends notifications if someone else registers at your address, as reported by SVT.

When the service was launched, 25,000 people signed up within the first day, according to the channel.

Now, the Swedish Tax Agency will also contact residents when a new person attempts to register at an address to ensure that the individual truly lives there.