Research Reveals Those Most at Risk From ID Fraud
Research carried out by credit reference agency, Experian, has found that those under 50, wealthy and who live in London are most at risk from becoming a victim of identity fraud.
The research revealed that a concentration of ID thefts occurred in London, concerning people of a certain age group and who earn a certain salary.
Startlingly, more than half of ID victims are aged between 30 and 50, with high earners in the city who live in prime locations. Young couples with children are also at great risk of falling fowl of the ID thieves.
Those who live in London are four times more likely to fall victim of ID fraud compared with the UK average. Out of the 54 areas in the UK that are classed as high risk, 20 are in the London area.
Director of consumer affairs at Experian, Jill Stevens, said: “ Over the past four years, the most popular way to steal someone’s identity has been to use their previous or current address frequently. To hijack a current address, a fraudster either intercepts post and impersonates the victim of places a postal redirection on the name and address.
“ If a criminal gets hold of enough personal details, he or she can take over an identity at a previous address.”
People who are either set to retire or are retired are at least risk to ID fraud.
Mail order companies are were 60% of fraudulent accounts are held while credit card and store card customers who have been victims of ID fraud, accounted for around a third of this type of crime.
Jill Stevens added: “ It takes an average of 467 days to discover you’ve been the target of identity fraud and you can spend up to 300 hours putting the record straight, so it makes sense to take every precaution.”
Some precautions to help prevent becoming as victim of ID fraud, include: Monitoring your credit report on a regular basis, shredding and disposing safely any correspondence containing personal details, never giving out personal financial details over the phone, never revealing your PIN number(s) to anyone.
Following some simple commonsense precautions could help you becoming one of the UK’s growing number of ID fraud victims.
Alisdair Milton
1st September 2006
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