Innocent people are having their identities stolen by criminals at ‘epidemic’ levels, new figures reveal.
Identity fraud is now taking place at a record of nearly 500 cases a day – with the majority of scams taking place online.
Experts have warned the UK is facing a silent crimewave of credit card and banking fraud, mail, phone and online scams, and computer crime such as identity theft.
Identity fraud is now taking place at a record of nearly 500 cases a day – with the majority of scams taking place online
Now fresh statistics show that 89,201 identity frauds were registered from January to June this year – the highest total ever.
It was up 5 per cent on the 84,863 cases recorded in the equivalent period of 2016, according to fraud prevention body Cifas.
Some 83 per cent of the scams logged in the first six months of this year occurred via the internet – reinforcing calls for people to bolster their personal cyber-security.
Fraud prevention body Cifas said criminals were ‘relentlessly’ targeting consumers and businesses by fraudulently applying for loans, online shopping, telecoms and insurance products in their names.
Most of the time victims do not realise they have been targeted until a bill arrives for something they did not buy or they experience problems with their credit rating.
Cifas chief executive Simon Dukes said: ‘We have seen identity fraud attempts increase year on year, now reaching epidemic levels.
‘These frauds are taking place almost exclusively online. The vast amounts of personal data that is available either online or through data breaches is only making it easier for the fraudster.
‘Criminals are relentlessly targeting consumers and businesses and we must all be alert to the threat and do more to protect personal information.
Experts have warned the UK is facing a silent crimewave of credit card and banking fraud, mail, phone and online scams, and computer crime such as identity theft
‘For smaller and medium-sized businesses in particular, they must focus on educating staff on good cyber security behaviours and raise awareness of the social engineering techniques employed by fraudsters. Relying solely on new fraud prevention technology is not enough.’
Fraudsters get hold of data such as names, dates of birth and addresses through a variety of routes including stolen mail, the dark web, hacking or exploitation of information on social media.
Another tactic is known as ‘social engineering’ fraud, where perpetrators obtain their targets’ personal details by pretending to be from their bank, the police or a trusted retailer.
Cifas said the number of identity fraud attempts against bank accounts and plastic cards had fallen by 14 per cent and 12 per cent respectively, they still account for more than half of all cases – nearly 55,000.
Cases involving insurance products surged from 20 to 2,070 – or 10,250 per cent – indicating scammers believe these are a potentially lucrative target.
Experts said consumers should protect themselves by using privacy settings on social media, be careful not to share personal details such as date of birth, address and contact numbers, and using passwords to protect computers, tablets and smartphones.
Figures suggest people aged between 31 and 50 are most likely to fall victim to impersonation scams, with more than 37,000 cases in the age group.
Regionally, London had the highest number of cases, with 26,177. But the authorities have said that fraud and cyber-crime were the first ‘classless crimes’. Victims come from all ages, classes and geographic areas, meaning no sector of society can consider themselves safe from attack.
In the year to March, the Crime Survey for England and Wales found 5.1million people had been victims of fraud or cyber-offences – one in 10 of all adults in the country.
They are also now the most prevalent crimes in the country – with a person 20 times more likely to be swindled than robber, and 10 times more likely than being a victim of theft.
The survey looks at people’s experiences of crime and includes incidents not reported to police.