The CEO of one of the world’s largest security companies was briefly declared bankrupt this week after having his identity stolen.
Swedish firm Securitas confirmed that chief executive Alf Goransson was declared bankrupt on Monday by the Stockholm District Court after a fraudulent application was made using stolen personal information.
The decision was reversed on Wednesday at the CEO’s request.
Securitas said that Goransson was not contacted by the court prior to its initial ruling, and the incident has been reported to police.
There were other consequences.
Securitas said in a press release that the Swedish Companies Registration Office had de-registered Goransson as the company’s CEO after the court ruling.
It said the body “now has to restore the former registration without delay.”
Securitas said it doesn’t know how Goransson’s information was stolen. But it has discovered that a fraudulent loan application was also made in April.
“We only know that someone used his ID to take a loan, and also to request bankruptcy in [his] name,” a company spokeswoman said.
Maria Hellberg, a judge at the court, said that bankruptcy applications can be made by mailing a signed declaration of insolvency. The signature doesn’t have to be notarized and there is no fee to file the application.
“This is extremely rare case,” she said. “I have never heard about anything like this.”
It’s not clear why would the perpetrators want to have Goransson declared bankrupt.
“I don’t understand that … the minds of criminals,” Hellberg said.
Goransson said in a statement that he has not received any information about the falsified loan, including the sum and whether or not it has been paid out.
Securitas has 335,000 employees in 53 countries. It offers security, consulting and investigative services.
Goransson has been president and CEO of the firm since 2007.
