Odewale used the name of Terence Nicholass

Chelmsford Crown Court heard how the five obtained about �1m by using forged bills and driving licences to take out bank loans in the names of other - entirely innocent - people.

Ayodele Odewale, 24, of Colchester, Moses Awofadeju, 24, and Kazeem Oshungbure, 24, of Ilford had denied charges of conspiracy to defraud but were found guilty on Monday.

Sarah Howard, 24, and her husband Wayne Howard, 30, of Haverhill in Suffolk, had pleaded guilty.

The trial came at the end of a year-long police investigation involving officers from Suffolk and Essex.

The gang used the identities of people from across the UK.

The real Mr Nicholass said the crime is "quite frightening"

One, Terence Nicholass from Braintree in Essex, told the BBC: "It seems just to use a forged gas bill - which is what happened - a driving licence, again a forgery, they were sufficient to obtain my identity.

"I think it's quite frightening."

The gang also used the identity of a Haverhill woman, Alice Mayes, after her death.

The new owners of her house told the BBC they had had immense problems getting credit.

"Any time you go to get bank accounts, loans, they refuse you straight away," said Clare Seaman.

"Anywhere you go to get credit, for example we went to a computer store to get a lap top, it gets thrown back into your face.

"It's quite embarrassing."

The gang will be sentenced on 24 April.