People unaware of identity theft advice
Published On 1 February 2007
Too many people are unaware of identity theft advice, according to reference agency Callcredit. The agency was one of the partners in National Identity Fraud Prevention Week which took place in October.
According to a survey from the Information Comissioner's Office, one third of Brits throw away personal documents such as bank statements without shredding them, and one in four do not check their statements.
Melanie Mitchley, director of industry relations at Callcredit, said: "Personal data is the lifeblood of identity thieves and they are gorging themselves on people’s complacency."
She added: "Just remembering to destroy personal documents such as bills and statements before throwing them away would go a long way to starving ID fraudsters of opportunities."
Further identity protection advice offered by Callcredit includes redirecting mail immediately after a change of address, and making sure firewall and anti-virus software is up to date.
