Consumers need to be 'aware' of signs of identity fraud
Consumers need to be 'aware' of signs of identity fraud
- Wednesday, 28 July 2010Identity fraud is increasing and victims could lose money, which may lead to
debt problems.
However, this could be avoided if consumers were alert to the signs of identity fraud and checked their credit card and bank statements properly.
James Jones, consumer education manager at Experian, believes that people need to look for any transactions that have not been instigated by themselves in order to detect the crime early.
He explained why there has been an increase in the crime: "I think it's a combination [of things] - partly fuelled by the increase in the amount of personal information available on the internet, most of it volunteered on social networking sites.
"I think that people are still very complacent regarding fraud."
Mr Jones added that fraudsters will employ a number of techniques to ensure that their crime remains undetected for as long as possible.
These include redirecting or intercepting mail and using a bogus or old address, he said.
Experian found that the number of identity fraud victims that had turned to the company for help increased by 20 per cent in 2009 compared to the previous year. The average amount lost was £1,100.
This could lead to
debt problems as it may make it harder for the victim to pay their bills or mortgage.

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