Banks alarmed by fake salary certificates

Credit institutions are looking for ways to verify documents that attest individuals are salaried and have declared their incomes. Alarmed by the amount of loan applications based on fake salary certificates, banks have requested access from the Labour Ministry to the database of the Labour Inspection Department to check the validity of clients’ documents. The Labour Inspection Department, however, rejected the official request filed by the Romanian Banking Association (ARB), citing as a reason the fact that it operates private data, and is registered with the National Authority for the Supervision of Personal Data Processing. “Revealing (labour law-related) processed data to a third party can only occur if the operator is legally bound to do so or if the person targeted gives their express consent on the matter,” is the response of the Department. Under the circumstances, the only solution would be for the ARB to secure the necessary support to promote a legislative initiative in this regard. The association believes the Romanian banking system is facing a genuine challenge when it comes to the falsification of documents, which certify a person is a salaried employees, and, implicitly, the level of monthly income on which credits for individuals are granted. Banks would be willing to pay to have access to the database of the Labour Inspection Department, even if it means getting as little as a yes or no every time they request verification that a person is indeed employed.