Deter identity thefts – clear your wallet

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Deter identity thefts – clear your wallet

Thu 19th Jul 2007

Consumers are being encouraged to ward off the threat of being the victims of identity theft by rummaging through their wallet and storing away any information which could be used by a thief.

Research carried out by Capital One indicates that over nine in ten Britons have enough information in their wallets to give a thief every opportunity to steal their identity.

Capital One has found that some 43.5 million of us carry around credit cards or debit cards with us, with 24.5 million of us carrying around their driving licence.

Some 23.5 million carry old receipts around, while one million also take bank statements with them.

Professor Martin Gill, a criminologist from Perpetuity, a division of the University of Leicester, said: "Identity theft is a serious issue, and one that can leave us exposed to a range of crimes."

He added: "Would-be thieves only need a few snippets of information to start stealing an identity."

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