Women's handbags 'provide rich picking for identity fraudsters'
Published On 22 May 2007
Women in the UK are putting themselves at risk of becoming financial fraud victims because they are carrying vital items - like credit cards and cheque books - in their handbags, according to a new report.Data gathered by Equifax reveals that 80 per cent of women in the UK carry their credit and debit cards with them at all times, placing them at risk if their handbag is lost or stolen.
However, it is the fact that handbags typically also contain items such as payslips, cheque books and National Insurance numbers that makes them attractive to potential identity fraudsters.
Overall, 22 per cent of women said they kept their National Insurance number in their bag, while nearly a third (32 per cent) always had receipts on them.
"Information is our greatest asset these days," explained Neil Munroe of Equifax. "And, according to our survey, women are carrying around enough information for a fraudster to apply for loans, mortgages, credit cards and bank accounts in their name.
"As our survey revealed anything from payslips, driving licences and mobile phones can be found in a handbag and this is all it takes to commit ID fraud," Mr Munroe added.
Figures from Cifas, the UK's fraud prevention service, indicate that financial fraud in the UK is increasing rapidly.
Application fraud (where fraudsters tell lies on application forms in order to obtain credit, insurance or other products) increased by 21 per cent in the first three months of 2007.
