On today’s edition of BBC’s Working Lunch a brief story advised consumers not to consider using fake pay-slips to borrow more than they can afford.

Pay-slips are often used as proof of earnings by lenders to ensure an applicant can afford to repay credit such as a loan or mortgage.

If a pay-slip reveals the applicant cannot afford extra borrowing, the credit may be declined.

Some consumers have used fake pay-slips to suggest they are earning more than they actually are in order to qualify for borrowing larger amounts.

Who would do such a thing? It’s just nuts!

Not only could the applicant end up struggling to pay back a loan or mortgage that they just can’t afford but they are also committing fraud and could end up with a criminal record.

It was reported that consumers are able to obtain ‘replacement’ pay-slips from third party websites.

If you need replacement pay-slips to make an application for credit, surely you’d ask your employer….?

One such website offering the ‘replacement’ pay-slip service I found is:

http://www.payrollservicebureau.co.uk/

This website also offers replacement P60′s printed on original Inland Revenue forms.

You simply pick what you want to buy, fill in all the info you want to appear on the form and then make your online payment. No cross-referencing or checking.

Another I found (paying for online advertising): http://www.payslipsp60.co.uk/

This site’s T’s and C’s do not sate anywhere that the figures you request on your ‘replacement’ need to be verified. You could ask them to print almost anything you want!

One thing I didn’t find however was a P45 printing service, that could have been fun!