One in four 'touched' by ID fraud
A quarter of UK adults have had their
identity stolen or know someone who has fallen victim
to ID fraud, a Which? magazine survey has suggested.
Nevertheless, only one in three people said they shredded
bills or used different passwords for every account.
ID thieves access accounts, run up bills, launder money,
carry out benefit fraud and take out fraudulent loans.
ID fraud is one of the UK's fastest-growing crimes,
with criminals netting an estimated £1.3bn last
year.
The survey of 975 people found seven out of 10 favoured
compulsory ID cards as a way to fight fraud.
Refuse hazard
Fraudsters use a host of methods to steal people's
identities. Methods range from the high-tech, such as
sending emails containing viruses that access information
on people's computers to rooting around in refuse to
find old till receipts and bank statements.
Which? advises consumers to take care in how they dispose
of their personal documents, guard their passwords and
to check their bank accounts and credit files regularly.
Easy theft
To highlight how easy it can be to steal a person's
ID, Which? researchers decided to try to steal the identity
of a volunteer.
By accessing public documents and posing as the volunteer,
the researcher managed to get hold of the volunteer's
birth certificate, mother's maiden name, place of birth,
mortgage details and even how often they went to the
gym.
An attempt to access the volunteer's credit card account
failed but only because the volunteer had not told his
bank that he had recently changed address.
Which? have called on banks and institutions to take
greater care with people's details. Even a simple step
taken by the industry to stop accepting mother's maiden
name and place of birth as default passwords would be
a good start as it is too easy for fraudsters to get
hold of this basic information, which is where the process
of stealing an identity begins.
How to stop ID theft
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Do not use your mother's maiden
name or place of birth as a security password |
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Check your credit record annually |
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If you move, make sure you let your bank know
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Shred or rip-up post before throwing it in
the bin
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Never use the same password for all your accounts |
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Do not carry address details in your wallet |
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Source: Which? |
Visit our Q & A's For more
detailed information on protecting your identify.
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