|
|
 |
 |
|
| Press Article |
|
|
 |
|
| Banking - One in four 'touched' by ID fraud |
|
| Date : 03-03-2005 12:57 Source : BBC NEWS I Business |
|
Nevertheless, only one in three people said they shredded bills or used different passwords for every account.
ID thieves access accounts, run up bills, launder money, carry out benefit fraud and take out fraudulent loans.
ID fraud is one of the UK's fastest-growing crimes, with criminals netting an estimated £1.3bn last year.
The survey of 975 people found seven out of 10 favoured compulsory ID cards as a way to fight fraud.
Refuse hazard
Fraudsters use a host of methods to steal people's identities.
Methods range from the high-tech, such as sending emails containing viruses that access information on people's computers to rooting around in refuse to find old till receipts and bank statements.
Which? advises consumers to take care in how they dispose of their personal documents, guard their passwords and to check their bank accounts and credit files regularly.
Easy theft
To highlight how easy it can be to steal a person's ID, Which? researchers decided to try to steal the identity of a volunteer.
By accessing public documents and posing as the volunteer, the researcher managed to get hold of the volunteer's birth certificate, mother's maiden name, place of birth, mortgage details and even how often they went to the gym.
An attempt to access the volunteer's credit card account failed but only because the volunteer had not told his bank that he had recently changed address.
Which? editor Malcolm Coles called on banks and institutions to take greater care with people's details.
"Even a simple step taken by industry to stop accepting mother's maiden name and place of birth as default passwords would be a good start," Mr Coles said.
"It's too easy for fraudsters to get hold of this basic information, which is where the process of stealing an identity begins."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<< Back To Articles
|
|
|
|
