ID theft 'moves on from cards'

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ID theft 'moves on from cards'

Fri 9th Feb 2007

Chip and pin technology has done a great deal to protect consumers against theft and fraud, but now the UK payments association has warned that criminals may target other elements of people's finances.

An Apacs spokesperson said identity theft remains a threat to Britons and that identity theft can occur in a number of ways.

"From mortgages to insurance to hire purchase – all of those things can be targeted for fraud," the spokesperson said, adding that Home Office figures suggest that this is "a big problem".

"From a cards perspective that doesn’t really come through," they said.

The Apacs spokesperson's comments come after a survey by online identity expert Garlik revealed that one in ten Brits have been blacklisted unfairly, with half of these cases the result of identity fraud.

The report revealed that this crime costs the victims some £55,000 - an accumulation of legal fees, credit checks and actual financial losses.

Britons are being urged to protect their identities by shredding documents containing personal information and keeping their pins and passwords a secret.

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