GETTY The petition calling for a second EU referendum has been signed fraudulently

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The House of Commons Petition Committee has been forced to investigate the alleged fraud saying it “undermines parliamentary democracy”. Remain campaigners are using the second EU referendum petition, which has attracted more than three million names since Friday, to fuel a campaign to block Britain’s exit from the European Union. But signatories from across the globe – including the United States, Germany, France, and even Syria and Saudi Arabia are using fake addresses to try and plunge Britain into more uncertainty after the Brexit result. Some of the names will be undoubtedly be genuine, as any UK resident or British citizen is entitled to sign e-petitions, and they may be abroad. But Express.co.uk has seen tweets showing Remain campaigners offering postcodes to foreigners so they can sign the petition.

A House of Commons spokeswoman told Express.co.uk fraud is so rampant it has already had to remove 77,000 signatures. But with people living in multiple accommodation, for example students or second homeowners, there are fears thousands more could slip through the net. At the time of writing, 42,262 signatures had been placed from people in Vatican City. Another 24,868 have been placed in North Korea, 13,096 in Australia, 3,976 in New Zealand, and 12,029 in the United States.

TWITTER A tweet offering foreigners British postcodes to sign the second EU referendum petition

This is fraud and it needs to be exposed and stopped Evelyn Farr

Signatories are from more than 200 countries around the globe. And Express.co.uk reporters have been able to sign the EU referendum petition multiple times. Nick Martinek, of West Yorkshire, set up a new email address and found a postcode for a street in Hilary Benn’s Leeds Central constituency to prove how easy it was fraudulently sign. He said: “The way the BBC has been falling over itself to promote this petition makes me laugh. “Politicians will use this as leverage to try and stop Britain leaving the European Union – until the joke and scam becomes clear.”

IG The data showing the numbers of signatures made in each country

Brexit campaigner Evelyn Farr, who set up a Facebook group The Brexiteer, said she is writing to the Parliamentary petitions website to have the petition closed down and rejected for fraud. She said: “It is headline news abroad that three million people are anti-Brexit and the same false impression is being conveyed by our own press. “Given that some MPs are proposing not to vote through Brexit legislation, thereby ignoring the will of the people in a fair and democratic referendum, the implications are quite serious. “This is fraud and it needs to be exposed and stopped.” The House of Commons Petitions Committee is investigating. Helen Jones MP, chair of the Petitions Committee, said: "We take fraud in the petitions system very seriously, because it undermines the process of parliamentary democracy.

"The Government Digital Service are taking action to investigate, and, where necessary, remove fraudulent signatures. "People adding fraudulent signatures in this petition should know that they undermine the cause they pretend to support. "It is clear that this petition is very important to a substantial number of people. The Petitions Committee will be considering the petition at its meeting next week, and will decide whether or not to schedule a debate on it. "That doesn't mean that the committee will be deciding whether or not it agrees with the petition - just whether or not it should be debated. "Any debate would allow a range of views to be expressed."