Handbags a goldmine for fraudsters
May 22, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Credit-Cards
British women may be more susceptible to credit card fraud because they carry too much information in their handbags.
That is according to credit reference agency Equifax which says that handbags are a potential goldmine for thieves.
As well as holding all of a person’s debit and credit cards, the average handbag often also contains payslips, cheque books and National Insurance numbers.
The firm has found that 22 per cent of British women hold their National Insurance number in their handbag, while 32 per cent also keep old receipts.
“Information is our greatest asset these days,” said Neil Munroe of Equifax.
“And, according to our survey, women are carrying around enough information for a fraudster to apply for loans, mortgages, credit cards and bank accounts in their name.
“As our survey revealed anything from payslips, driving licences and mobile phones can be found in a handbag and this is all it takes to commit ID fraud,” he added.
In addition to potential fraud, many women leave themselves open to other crimes, with four in five admitting to carrying their house keys alongside proof of address in their bags.
