THE FACTS ON ID FRAUD
WE ALL NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL
A quick look at the facts and figures about ID fraud clearly shows that we all need to be more careful with our personal information. Information such as your date of birth, address, mother's maiden name, bank details and passwords are now as valuable as money. This could be enough information for a fraudster to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, loans and much more in your name.
The aim of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week is to highlight the dangers Irish citizens face from identity theft and to help them take simple steps to prevent their identity being stolen.
THE NUMBERS
It is imperative that people take more care of their identities. A survey commissioned by Fellowes for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week suggests that 90,000 people in Ireland have already been victims of identity fraud – an increase on 2008
- Personal information such as your date of birth, address, mother's maiden name and passwords are now as valuable as money. This could be enough information for a fraudster to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, loans and much more.
- Whilst 9 out of 10 Irish people believe they are at risk from identity fraud, more than half of us aren’t fully aware of the steps we should take to protect our identities
- Shockingly, 8 out of 10 respondents are routinely throwing personal information in the bin – easy pickings for fraudsters looking to steal their identities
- Over two thirds of respondents admitted that they throw away bank statements, utility bills and even passwords and pin numbers without shredding them first
- 97% of us don’t completely trust organisations we deal with to protect our identity either .. and maybe with good reason because …
Current address fraud
Businesses and all organisations also need to heed these warnings It appears that businesses are just as careless as households with sensitive information:
- 63 % of employees admitted to throwing away sensitive information without shredding it first
- Over a third of businesses in Ireland do not have a have a clear or comprehensive policy in place to deal with identity fraud – the second lowest in Europe behind Belgium
- 95% of employees admitted that that the identities of employees or customers could be at risk where they work