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13 July 2006
The National Consumer Council (NCC) has called for a dedicated ID theft support centre to be set up to aid victims of identity fraud.
Identity theft is estimated to affect more than 100,000 people per year and can be extremely distressing for victims of fraudsters.
Often, victims only find out that they have been targeted when they receive demands for unpaid bills or debts, and when they appear in the name of a dead relative or child, it can be even more distressing.
Victims can experience numerous problems trying to resolve the situation, including difficulty obtaining a crime reference number, as they are often not legally considered victims.
"So far, the UK government and companies have focused on raising consumer awareness of ID theft, but no-one has paid much attention to supporting its victims," said NCC's chair, Lord Whitty.
"In fact we were shocked by the low priority companies give to ID theft victim support, and by the lack of recognition for ID theft victims in UK law."
Research from the NCC shows that victims of identity theft support the creation of a one-stop support centre, which would be funded by businesses including banks, credit card companies, mobile phone companies and mail order companies.
Such a centre would provide victims with services including helping them to prove their identity and contacting service providers, and would cost a fraction of the billions lost to the industry by identity fraud, according to the NCC.
If you're worried about ID theft and the effect it could have on your credit rating, sign up today to a FREE trial of MyCallcredit's early fraud detection service.
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