MoneyExpert: One In Ten Say They Have Been Affected By ID Theft
August 10th, 2006
As many as one in ten people say that they have been affected by ID theft, or around six million people across the country, new figures from Npower have revealed.
Despite the apparent prevalence of the problem, many in the UK are not ensuring that they are protected and are leaving crucial information open to abuse.
Younger people are the least likely to take care of their information with two-thirds of those under 30 giving their Pin number or account details to friends and family.
A quarter said that they did not realise that utility bills could give an opening to fraudsters and 80 per cent did not know what a credit rating is.
“The under-30s are at higher risk of becoming victims or of putting others at risk as they are more likely to be nomadic, living in rented properties, moving out of university halls and so on,” said Zoe Coombs of Npower.
She added that many older people also did not know how to handle documents to ensure that they are keeping their own and other people’s information safe.
“It’s vital that they are educated to dispose of documents responsibly and do the same with other people’s mail, as well as to inform their energy supplier and so on of their move,” Ms Coombs said.
This article: © Moneyexpert Ltd.
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