The Money Stop

Too many Britons are still bypassing advice on how to protect themselves against identity theft, credit reference agency Callcredit has warned.

A third of Britons continue to throw away documents such as bank statements and receipts, which contain vital personal information, without shredding them first, a study from the Information Commissioner’s Office found this week.

Meanwhile, as many as a quarter of people would be oblivious if they were targeted by identity fraudsters – since they do not check their bank statements.

Customers should work these small but important habits into their financial routine, stressed Callcredit’s director of industry relations Melanie Mitchley: “Personal data is the lifeblood of identity thieves and they are gorging themselves on people’s complacency.”

“Remembering to destroy personal documents such as bills and statements before throwing them away would go a long way to starving ID fraudsters of opportunities,” she added.

Amid growing concerns about hi-tech online identity fraud, it’s important to keep your PC or laptop updated with anti-virus and firewall software to exclude hackers.

According to the UK fraud protection service, CIFAS, the number of victims of identity impersonation rose 19.91 per cent last year compared to 2005 levels.

Related Posts

Fraud warning not being heeded

Millions of credit card holders in the UK are leaving themselves open to fraud.Despite continual warnings about the dangers of identity theft, many people are not heeding the advice, says Morgan Stanley Consumer Banking.The most

MP claims that banks are too laid back about ID theft

A Tory Party MP has claimed that banks in the UK are far too laid back when it comes to the problems of identity theft – a problem that is growing in the UK and

Warning about Iceland banks was ignored by UK

According to a recent report warnings that were issued about Icelandic banks were ignored by the UK government, resulting in officials being accused of complacency. It is alleges that warnings over the possible collapse of

Put credit card fraud into perspective

As Christmas approaches many consumers in the UK have started to worry about the risk of Internet fraud, and although buying gifts and other related items online has become hugely popular over the years many

Identity theft victims older than fraudsters

Consumers who are victims of identity theft are older than the fraudsters they are conned by, shows new research. Findings from CIFAS, the UK's Fraud Prevention Service, revealed that males in their 40s are the

More consumers concerned about safety of personal details

More consumers are concerned about the safety and security of their personal details than ever before, an information body has claimed. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said this fear of identity theft is driven by

Brits don’t know how to detect ID theft

Almost all of us are aware that ID theft is a problem in the UK but worryingly, 42 million of us do not know how to check if we have been targeted.New research by Capital

‘Viligence’ advised to avoid identity theft

Consumers are advised to exercise "vigilance" in face of identity theft risk, rather than rushing to buy insurance.An industry expert has said that after news that the personal information relating to 25 million people in