Is Someone Hiring Plant in Your Company's Name? How to SPOT HIRE FRAUD and Stop It

By Kelly Burgess, Head of Hire at Horizon Platforms

Fraudsters are ringing hire companies, pretending to be real construction firms, and ordering MEWPs and plant to be delivered to addresses where the kit then disappears. There are a few simple ways to make your company much harder to impersonate, such as telling suppliers who's allowed to order, using a purchase order number on every hire, and asking suppliers to check anything unusual with you directly. But don’t worry, Horizon also follows a verification process when someone new hires from customers.

We go into this into this in more depth below. But we know fraud happens because someone called our office pretending to be a customer and tried to hire three scissor lifts. We caught it. You can read more about this story on Vertikal.

How does plant hire fraud work?

It's simpler than you'd think. A fraudster picks a genuine company, finds the name of someone who works there, and calls or emails a hire company to place an order on that company's account. This can be the hire company the business uses or a random rental firm. Either way, it's brazen and a blight on society!

Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud), the UK's national fraud reporting centre, describes the same pattern across lots of industries. Fraudsters impersonate genuine businesses, order goods on credit, and have them delivered or redirected to an address they can get to and steal the goods.

The orders can look very convincing. In one case reported on Construction Enquirer, a plant hire firm in Cambridge received an order that appeared to come from an existing customer, complete with an official purchase order. Luckily, on this occasion their cross-checks flagged an issue, and the police were able to arrest the perpetrators.

Is plant hire fraud on the rise?

There isn’t a clean national figure on this, but the number of reported incidents suggests it’s not going away anytime soon.

Crane and lift industry website Vertikal now runs a dedicated fraud and theft reporting page because reports have become so common. And in one case recorded on the CPA's website, police arrested eight people in the North West as part of an investigation into around £1 million of plant stolen from hire companies across the UK. Plus, Insurance Business reported the BauWatch Crime Report 2025 found 67% of UK construction professionals saw site crime rise in the past year, nearly double the European average.

Why does it matter when it's the hire company's kit and not ours?

If a business or individual hires access platforms or other hired equipment, they become responsible for keeping the kit safe and in good condition. If equipment goes missing, that can mean awkward calls, invoice disputes, time spent proving it wasn't you, and suppliers can become more cautious with your account. It's a headache nobody needs mid-project.

And when kit you've genuinely hired goes missing or gets damaged, the hassle can be even worse when going back and forth with insurance companies. Not to mention the hefty excess and likely premium hike at renewal. That's why many of our customers at Horizon Platforms add Platform Protect to their hire contracts. If the worst happens, you report it to us and we take care of the rest, with no lengthy claims process or premium hikes.

What are the signs someone is using your company's name to hire MEWPs?

• A supplier calls to confirm an order you didn't place

• You receive invoices or delivery notes for kit you never hired

• A colleague's name appears on orders they know nothing about

• Suppliers mention emails from an address that's nearly, but not quite, yours

• A credit account is opened in your name with a supplier you don't use

If any of these happen, treat it as a warning, not a mix-up.

8 ways to protect your company from being impersonated

This is vital advice for protecting your business from MEWP hire fraud and theft. We advise you make it part of your normal hiring process.

1. Tell your suppliers who can order

Give each hire company a short list of authorised people and keep it up to date.

2. Tell them how you order 

For example, "we always use a PO number" or "we never order by text or WhatsApp". Anything outside that should get a call.

3. Update suppliers when people leave

A former employee's name is an easy one for fraudsters to borrow.

4. Use a purchase order number on every hire

It gives suppliers a simple way to check an order is genuine.

5. Use approved purchasing systems

Systems like HireHub let customers order access platforms online, control what each user can see and do, and see every contract on their account. Read how HireHub adds an extra layer of security against MEWP hire fraud.

6. Watch what you share publicly

Report Fraud suggests thinking about what you publish about your contracts and suppliers. Site addresses, buyer names and project details on social media all help a fraudster sound convincing.

7. Check change requests using details you already have

Report Fraud recommends verifying new orders or changes to bank details using contact details on file, ideally by two methods such as phone and email.

8. Brief your team

Make sure people know a supplier might call to check an order, and that a quick "no, that's not us" can stop a theft.

Fraud is only one way kit goes missing. For theft from site, read How to Prevent MEWP Theft on Site: 8 Simple Tips.

What should you do if someone fraudulently hires MEWPs in my company's name?

1. Call your hire company straight away. For Horizon kit, dial 01924 270383.

2. Report fraud to Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) on 0300 123 2040 or through their online reporting tool.

3. Report theft to the police and get a crime reference number.

4. Warn the industry. Vertikal runs a free fraud and theft reporting page that hire companies check.

How Does Horizon Platforms Help stop fraudster hiring MEWPs in your name?

When someone is new at a customer’s organisation and tries to place an order by phone or email, we will contact the customer and verify the new contact exists, as well as doing a few online checks. As mentioned above, you can ringfence who orders by using HireHub.

If we’re satisfied, the hire contract will be confirmed. But we won’t stop there! We ask the delivery driver to be on high alert, by having them check the area for normal signs of work and activity. If they suspect anything odd, they will report to the hire desk who will reverify the delivery details with the customer.

If we deem that something isn’t right, we won’t deliver the MEWPs and alert the customer. After all we don’t want our customer to be compromised or risk the loss of our expensive assets.

Need a hand?

If you'd like to set up a list of authorised list of people who can order on your Horizon account (HireHub is the easiest way to do this), or you're worried about something you've seen, call our team on 01924 270383 or contact us online. We'd always rather check.

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