More than 50 cases of fraud have been reported to Identity Malta every year since 2014, figures supplied by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici show.

About 160 such cases were detected, with homeowners finding out that without their knowledge, their addresses were being listed by individuals, usually foreigners, filing formal applications with the Maltese authorities.

The Times of Malta reported in 2014 that foreigners applying for residence permits were among those using addresses in Malta without first obtaining the owners’ consent.

A Mellieħa resident recounted that she was shocked upon receiving a letter from the Department of Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs addressed to a foreign man claiming to reside at her property.

The letter, sent to her secondary residence in Swieqi, informed the applicant, a man believed to be from the Gulf, that his new documentation was ready to be collected.

The report led to other homeowners coming forward with similar complaints.

They included a Sliema woman who had received a number of official letters to Russians claiming to live in her property.

The practice gave rise to concerns in view of the government’s citizenship-for-cash scheme.

However, Identity Malta made it clear that applications for residence permits had nothing to do with the scheme.

This newspaper was also informed that the police were investigating eight cases in which fake addresses had been used by individuals raking in debts.

A Justice Ministry spokeswoman said Identity Malta took the matter of identity fraud seriously and had taken a number of precautions to ensure that details given on new ID cards were secure.

She said new ID cards were given to the applicants at the addresses submitted upon surrender of their old documentation, with the recipient being verified on site.

If the ID card was not delivered to the address indicated on the document, the applicant would have to collect it him- or herself from Identity Malta’s offices for verification purposes.

In the case of people entering into rent agreements, a copy of the contract of purchase, the lease agreement, utility bills and other major documents would suffice as proof that the applicant had access to the address, she said.

Identity Malta also scrutinised lease agreements and rental declaration forms once these were signed by landlords. Original property purchase contracts were also scrutinised, the spokeswoman said.