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 most likely to become victims of identity fraud than any other age group.

Peter Hurst, chief executive with CIFAS, said: “While our research into fraudsters revealed that the typical fraudster seems to be getting younger, this displays a quite different picture.”

He added that the CIFAS research shows that that the more tech-savvy, younger, sections of society are more aware of the need to protect their data, and therefore take greater care.

Those in their 40s, who may be seen as more resource rich and burden light compared with younger spenders, are supposedly a particular niche group to exploit, said the service.

Instances of identity theft are thought to be on the rise with nearly 30 per cent of Brits falling victim to identity theft within the last 3 years, according to a poll of UK credit professionals, by the Credit Show.

Tags: credit, Social Issues, picture, rise, group, shows new research, younger spenders, Cifas