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BankruptcyNews
Junior Member
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 Posted - 08 October 2007 : 10:38:40
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Dishing out ID fraud details on the street
People are still putting themselves at risk of identity theft, even though four out of five say they are concerned about becoming a victim of this growing crime.
Fraud prevention service Cifas reports that 80,000 cases were recorded last year, so as the third annual National Identity Fraud Prevention week begins, Financial Mail went to London's Theatreland to see just how easily the public could be persuaded to part with personal details to someone they didn't know.
Despite the cold, dark and extremely wet afternoon in Covent Garden, it was easier than expected to convince people to stop and talk to us, using the offer of free theatre tickets as a lure.
Even more surprising was how easy it was to get them to hand over valuable personal information, on the pretence that we needed the information for a 'theatre database'.
The first person we stopped was Kine Omholt, 19, who works in clothes shop Mango in Covent Garden. Within minutes she had handed over her address, date of birth and her credit card number.
Only once she had given this information, which a thief could have used to steal money in her name, did we admit to being part of an experiment run by identity theft assistance company CPP.
The company undertook the project to highlight how lax the public is in safeguarding valuable financial information.
After being told about the experiment, Kine said: 'I thought the offer of free theatre tickets was good. I didn't think about the fact that my details could be used to defraud me.' The details taken from Kine were returned to her, along with a theatre voucher for £20.
Shockingly, ex-policeman Dave Taylor, 25, handed over his date of birth, address and debit card details, despite knowing more than most about identity theft through his old job. Dave, from Walthamstow, northeast London, said he was pleased that we were highlighting the risks of identity fraud.
'Though I know about identity fraud, I trusted the woman asking me for information,' he says. 'This makes you realise just how easy it is to become a victim.'
Alex Pierrie-Travers, 30, was a victim of identity theft earlier this year when fraudsters got hold of his personal details and applied for a number of credit cards in his name. Alex, a marketing manager from Pimlico, west London, only realised when he applied for a mortgage and saw his credit record. Even so, in exchange for theatre tickets, Alex happily handed over valuable personal information.
When we told Alex how easy it would be to defraud him using the information he had given us, he was surprised. 'From working in marketing I know how hard it can be to gather information, so I am more willing to share mine,' he says.
According to the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, supported by organisations including the Metropolitan Police, Fellowes, Cifas, and Revenue & Customs, three-quarters of adults have either been victims of identity fraud or know friends or family who have been.
Nearly 40 per cent of households are still throwing away information that fraudsters need to steal an identity, according to office supplies firm Fellowes, one of the largest providers of shredding machines. Owen Roberts of credit agency Callcredit, a partner in National Identity Fraud Prevention week, says: 'The consequences of identity theft can be devastating, yet people are still failing to take simple precautions to protect themselves.'
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
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Dishing out ID fraud details on the street
