Identity Fraud on the Rise in the UK
The Experian credit reference agency has just released new data on identity fraud in the UK. According to their report, this phenomenon was marked by an incredible increase in 2007, affluent Londoners being particularly at risk.
Experian based this conclusion on the fact that it received identity fraud reports from over 6,000 victims in 2007, compared with only 3,500 in the previous year. Experian also pointed out that the reported frauds are only a small part of those actually happening. Experian actually used 10,000 identity fraud cases to define victim profiles and to identify ID crime hotspots.
The new data, quoted by the Register, shows London residents were twice as likely as others UK residents to be exposed to identity fraud. The Register also reproduced the most common profile of identity fraud victims:
The typical identity fraud victim is aged between 26 and 45, earns more than £50,000 a year and tends to be a homeowner. Higher income earners are three times as likely to fall victim to identity fraudsters. Many victims realized they had been swindled after spotting dodgy transactions on credit monitoring reports.
