Identity theft fears grow

Three quarters of adults now worry about becoming the victim of identity theft according to findings from Lloyds TSB.

The fears of identity theft are growing with over a third of people now feeling more at risk from identity theft compared to six months ago.

Two fifths of Brits have actually experienced identity theft with about half of those becoming victims personally.

The recession is playing a major part in stimulating these fears, as rising unemployment forces more people into crime, the report found.

Increased use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter is also making it easier for criminals to steal personal details.

Even with the increased threat from identity fraud, nearly two thirds of people questioned in the report admit that they are not doing enough to protect themselves from this crime.

To help people better understand the risks and the effort involved in resolving the issues created by becoming a victim of identity theft, Lloyds TSB have launched a new a new ID Aware prevention and advisory service.

Lloyds TSB’s ID Aware product allows customers to stay on top of their credit status and safeguard their identity, providing credit monitoring services and an early warning system to alert the customer to any activity involving their account.

In addition, customers can check their credit status and payment history in one easy-to-understand document showing all credit cards, mortgages and loans.