Gardens need insurance too

It is not only gardeners who value what is round the back of their houses. A new survey shows that a substantial minority of people value the contents of their gardens as worth up to £1,000.

The study by Nationwide found that 35 per cent of those polled put the value of garden furniture, lawnmowers, sprinklers, gnomes and other equipment in their gardens as between £200 and £1,000.

Thefts from gardens have been increasing in recent years, and garden tools left lying around can be used by burglars to gain entry to homes.

Nationwide’s insurance director, Robin Bailey, said: “Spring is in the air and, if the rain holds off, some of us may be planning to spend time in the garden this Bank Holiday weekend. Items such as lawnmowers and garden furniture will be dusted off and may be left out in the open for long periods of time, resulting in easy pickings for opportunistic thieves and vandals.

“It is really important that these items are adequately insured against acts of theft or vandalism.”

Tags: thieves, vandals, furniture, burglars, survey, new survey, rain, Lawn mower

Don’t Skimp On Home Insurance

If you are worried about how much home insurance is enough, simply estimate the contents of your home and have your home market value appraised. Then shop around different companies for an insurance quote and make sure the amount is sufficient. For many people their home and the possessions it holds represents their entire life savings. Read more

Tags: home contents, home insurance savings, high expenses, life insurance, home insurance, buildings policy, time

ID theft warnings ignored

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.

Tags: callcredit, identity theft, theft, Personal computer, year, thieves

Chip and pin scare

Fears are growing that criminals may soon be able to collect customer information from doctored chip and pin machines.

Credit card holders could be targeted if thieves get their hands on the information which was discovered by a specialist research team at Cambridge University.

The team claims to have achieved its goal of reconfiguring a machine, allowing it to copy personal account and pin numbers.

This information can then be used to create fake cards, leaving consumers vulnerable to theft from their account.

It took just one month and £1,000 for the researchers to crack the system, with team members saying that all of the information and equipment is available over the internet from computer manufacturers.

The researchers specialise in testing the security of electronic hardware and the payments association Apacs says it is unlikely that the scam will be carried out on the high street.

An Apacs statement said: “People could, in theory, use this to steal account details from cards. Our experts are in discussion with the manufacturers of terminals to see what can be done.”

Tags: scare, GBP, economics, security, information, thieves, pin scare