Don't make it easy for identity thieves
Every day 93 per cent of the UK population, that's 46 million people, go out with enough information on them to allow somebody to steal their identity.This frightening statistic from Capital One highlights just how easy it is to become a victim of identity fraud - the personal details from paperwork like driving licenses and bank statements can put you at a greater risk if thieves get their hands on them.According to Capital One, of the 43.5 million people who carry around credit and/or debit cards, 24.5 million also carry a driving license and one million carry old bank statements which, should they lose their wallet, puts them at a very high risk of identity theft.Professor Martin Gill, a criminologist at the University of Leicester said: "Identity theft is a serious issue, and one that can leave us exposed to a range of crimes. "Would-be thieves only need a few snippets of information to start stealing an identity."By getting hold of personal information such as our address, bank details and date of birth a canny criminal can begin to create chaos within a matter of hours - applying for credit cards, securing loans, buying a mobile phone, applying for benefits for example - all under the stolen identity."Around 100, 000 people are affected by identity theft every year, with a cost £1.3 billion per year.
Share this..
Related stories
Financial advice could save low earners billions
Fifteen million low income earners currently lack access to financial advice, but if the government set up a national generic financial advice service as planned, those affected could save billions, new research has shown. According to the Resolution Foundation (RF), even if only ten per cent of those on a low income took up the government's proposed advice service, unsecured loans would be cut by...
Read MoreMore job losses in the city as Credit Suisse and Nomura look to cut costs
The outlook for the UK employment market appears bleak today with news that city giants Credit Suisse and Nomura are looking to dispose of 1650 members of staff to reduce their costs. This is the latest in a number of job cuts in the city where literally tens of thousands of positions are currently at risk. This is on top of the general downturn in employment across the UK and does not bode below...
Read MoreAre we in danger of talking down the UK property sector?
Despite the fact that the UK property sector has probably performed better than 99% of analysts had expected in 2009, the recent press has been full of stories about price falls in 2010 and a drop in demand. There is the potential to actually talk ourselves into a property decline in the short term which could prove catastrophic in the short to medium term. Even though it is obvious from the fi...
Read MoreWhy is sentiment so important within investment markets?
Even before we saw actual signs of a downturn in the UK economy, with quarterly growth expected to fall from 1.2% to around 0.5%, there was talk in the press of a slowdown which did impact upon sentiment within the UK. But why is sentiment so important to investment markets? Sentiment is in simple terms the feel-good factor associated with any service, activity for even an item. When the skies...
Read MoreLloyds Bank fails to agree toxic asset insurance deal
It has today been revealed that Lloyds Bank is no nearer an agreement with the UK authorities with regards to its toxic assets from the combined Lloyds Bank and HBOS group. While the amount of toxic assets in question is less than half of that which has already been agreed with the Royal Bank of Scotland there appears to be some problem on the side of the UK authorities. There is speculation that...
Read More