It’s national fraud prevention week.
A study commissioned by fraud prevention service CIFAS found that store cards, mobile phone accounts and credit cards are the top three purchases made by fraudsters using other people’s identities. The report was by PRCI Ltd – a spin-out company from the University of Leicester.
Prof Martin Gill, founder of PRCI, said: "Today identity theft is a growing issue affecting more than 100,000 people in the UK annually. The Home Office estimates that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion per year. Identity theft can also have repercussions for the victims whose identities are stolen. Apart from the emotional impact, victims can suffer potential damage to their credit rating and the inconvenience and time taken to resolve issues."
The study found that victims’ personal details were most likely to be used to apply for store cards, credit cards and mobile phone accounts. Over half only discovered they were victims after receiving documentation (bills, statements) through the post for accounts they had not opened.
The report states: "Whilst identity theft is a significant issue for the victims, in the majority of cases they were reasonably satisfied with the way they were treated, although less so with the service provided by the police. Often the experience was annoying and could be stressful but it was often possible to deal with the matter quickly. Some, though, suffered considerably both from being repeat victims, and/or via poor treatment by the organisations involved."
The study identified the following five changes that victims would like to see implemented by service providers:
An individual/personal case worker within each organisation to help victims.
Keeping the victim regularly informed about progress and what is actually being done to rectify the situation.
Service providers to adopt a more understanding and sympathetic approach towards victims.
Staff to be better trained in how to deal with identity theft victims; and
Better and clearer information on identity theft; for instance, if you become a victim, what action you should take to clear your name and where to go to get support.
The study focused on the experiences of a sample of victims: how they were victimised, the impact on them and their views on their treatment by service providers and law enforcement agencies. The study also makes recommendations to help inform future responses to identity theft.
