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19 October 2005
Incidents of identity fraud are increasing at an alarming rate according to new research published by the UK fraud prevention service Cifas.
Cifas believes that by the end of this year, there will have been a remarkable 135,000 reported cases of identity theft in the UK.
This is nearly seven times the figure of 20,000 that was reported in 1999, and could cost Brits as much as £1.3 billion a year.
Some 18 million households are leaving themselves open to the risk of identity fraud, simply by not properly disposing of personal material, such as cheques, household bills and financial statements and documents.
Despite their lax attitude in preventing the problem, a poll commissioned by Populus reveals that 40 per cent of people are worried about the possibility of identity fraud, outnumbering those that fear falling victim to a burglary (27 per cent) or a mugging (21 per cent).
The research marks the start of the UK's first National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, which will seek to show Brits that thinking along the lines of "It won't happen to me" will not protect them.
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