Identity fraud cases have shot up in the last six years in the UK by increasing seven-fold. Cifas, UK’s fraud prevention service, estimates that by the end of the year 135,000 incidents of identity theft would be reported. In 1999, the number of identity fraud cases reported was only 20,000.
Almost 20 million households in Britain are making themselves vulnerable to these threats by not taking preventive measures, according a new research report released on the first-ever National Identity Fraud Prevention Week in the UK.
Most of the affected belong to the middle income category. This crime might cost Britain at a conservative estimate £1.3 billion a year.
According to a study by MEL Research, three-quarters of household waste contained sensitive material, such as cheques, utility bills, bank statements or insurance documents. Around 18 million out of a total of 24.5 million households UK households are disposing off such documents which contain sensitive information that are being used by identity fraudsters.
The fears of identity fraud are threatening to engulf concerns like pick-pocketing, burglary and even mugging. This is endorsed by a poll carried out by Populus, which shows that 40% of the public rated identity fraud as their primary concern as against 27% who feared burglary and 21% who feared mugging.
Identity Fraud Prevention Week is happening from 17 - 23 October. UK police and credit reference agencies which include the Metropolitan Police, Crimestoppers, CIFAS (The UK's Fraud Prevention Service), Equifax, Fellowes and Experian are all taking part in this campaign against identity theft. A website is also being launched on this occasion.
Some of the tips which this campaign has come out with for the public to prevent identity frauds include the following:
Personal and confidential documents should be securely kept.
Traces of documentation containing personal information such as bank and credit card statements, utility bills, mortgage applications etc. should be shredded.
Bank and credit card accounts should be checked regularly for any unusual transactions.
It is suggested that no one should disclose any personal information to unknown individuals or organisations.
If you have any information about identity theft, you can anonymously contact the police or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Posted
on : Tue, 18 Oct 2005 09:25 GMT | General News
By : Chris Rowe
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