Print this page

Online fraud continues to grow

Since credit reference agency Experian first conducted research into identity fraud through ’bin diving’ in March 2002 and then again in December 2003, we’ve been constantly reminded just what a horrible and destructive crime ID fraud can be. But it seems that the message is still not getting through to many of us.

New research shows that an alarming 77% of household waste contains at least one or more items which could help fraudsters steal your ID. With 25m households in the UK, this means that a staggering 18m households are under threat from identity fraud because they’re failing to destroy private information identity thieves could use.

A spokesperson for Experian says: "It’s not enough just to tear up personal documents, as that won’t stop a determined fraudster - shredding is the only viable option. This week will hopefully encourage more people to take the warnings seriously as well as dispose of their information sensibly."

An easy way to check your credit report is to sign up for a free 30-day trial of CreditExpert, an online credit monitoring service from Experian. This service allows you to check your credit report at any time. You will also be warned by a weekly email or text message when a significant change, such as a new credit check, is registered on your report.

Get a free 30-day trial of CreditExpert and see a copy of your credit report.

For more information on how to protect yourself against ID fraud and get a specially-produced ‘Protect Your Identity’ guide, visit www.stop-idfraud.co.uk

• Next: Why tearing up your documents isn't enough