The average ID fraud incident currently costs an individual £1,190 sometimes escalating to more than £9,000. Sobering figures, especially at time when for many money is tight. But just why are things getting worse?
Many people suffer from the well known 'it won't happen to me' syndrome. We all know how easy it is to simply throw out our bills and statements along with junk mail, but it's a lot harder to recognise that, in doing so, we are also throwing an opportunity to fraudsters.
It's almost habit to be even less concerned in our virtual lives. As more and more of us surf the web, sharing and updating information with the world, there has been a staggering rise in the amount of personal data including addresses and dates of birth being published every day. This makes rich and easy pickings for the fraudsters. In fact, 88% of those who use social media sites admit to sharing this type sensitive and personal information which is directly giving rise to increases of ID theft cases.
So ask yourself again, ID Fraud, it won't happen to me will it? How many of us are even aware if our Facebook profile displays our date of birth, hometown or address? The truth is complacency is the best friend of ID fraud. We are simply not making the direct connection between giving away our private data and becoming a victim of identity theft. Only 18% of us are concerned about social networking sites being a vulnerable part of the fraud chain.
So what can you do? Being aware is the first key step and National Fraud Prevention Week is here to alert individuals and companies to the very real threats that exist today and the attacks that are happening right now as you read this.
Prevention is the cure
But we need to take action to help prevent ID fraud. Checking and shredding are the bed rocks of protecting your identity.
Checking banks statement for unfamiliar transactions, checking postal mail that goes missing and checking your personal credit report regularly all help to uncover any indications of ID fraud and prevent it from continuing.
Shredding all personal information is vital. Just throwing letters, statements, bills and receipts away is the same as putting your sensitive data all over your Facebook page and in the hands of the fraudsters.
So why not take a moment this week to make sure you are doing all you can to protect your identity and prevent fraud? A quick visit to www.stop-idfraud.co.uk will give you lots more tips along with a full advice pack on how to prevent identity fraud.
If you ask yourself 'it won't happen to me, will it?' you might just be surprised at the answer.
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