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Home movers advised to minimise ID fraud risk

28/04/06

One fifth of people moving house do not view redirecting their post as a priority, new research has suggested.

Meanwhile, new figures from the UK's fraud prevention service, CIFAS, have revealed that identity fraud has increased by 17 per cent over the last three months.

The growing risk of identity fraud means that home movers should be more careful than ever with their correspondence, as strangers can intercept private letters and use them as proof of identity to open a fraudulent bank account or apply for a credit or store card.

Research by Prudential Home Insurance has revealed that half of households claim to have received utility bills, polling details, insurance certificates or credit card statements belonging to the house's previous occupants and another quarter have received other people's bank statements.

Recent statistics have shown that nearly half of identity fraud cases in the UK involve a person's previous address and, with identity fraud being the UK's fastest growing crime affecting around 100,000 people each year, this is a serious concern.

The insurer is therefore urging consumers to redirect their mail when they change address.

"Being a victim of identity theft causes a huge inconvenience and can cost thousands of pounds," says Nick Fox, an expert on identity theft at Prudential Home Insurance.

"However, there are simple steps that people can take in order to significantly minimise their risk," he adds.

As well as advising people to redirect their post when they move home, Prudential also suggests that people should shred documents containing personal information before throwing them in the bin.

Consumers are also advised to keep personal documents under lock and key, ignore unsolicited emails and check their existing home insurance policy to ensure they are covered for fraud.

CIFAS chief executive, Peter Hurst, said that the increased threat of identity fraud is very worrying for individuals.

"This increase highlights the need for all parties – in both the public and private sectors – to work together to combat this pernicious crime," he commented.