Nigel Evans
New Figures Show “Very Real Threat Of Identity Fraud”
Nigel Evans MP, Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud, today welcomed the announcement from APACS that UK card fraud losses in 2005 had fallen by almost £60 million.
Commenting on the new figures, Mr Evans said: “These figures show that identity fraudsters can be beaten. I congratulate the banking industry on the steps it is beginning to take to protect consumers.
“However tackling card fraud is only a part of the battle, and there are still a great many areas which remain exposed to identity thieves.
“The APACS figures show a 21% increase in card-not-present fraud. As we increasingly bank and buy online and by phone the technologies required to protect consumers from identity fraud need to be constantly updated.
“I would urge all individuals and businesses to remain vigilant and continue to follow police advice to help protect themselves from identity fraudsters.”
Notes to Editors:
All Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud
• The Group was established to monitor the developments on identity fraud and efforts to curtail such criminal activities; to raise public and parliamentary awareness of the issue and provide a cross-party voice within parliament
• Chaired by Nigel Evans the Group has over 40 members from across the political spectrum
• Nigel Evans is to speak at an CIFAS conference on identity fraud next Thursday, where he will highlight the various areas of society which are susceptible to identity fraud.
• For further information on the Group and its activities please contact Ben Thornton on 020 7395 7179 or e-mail secretariat@idfraud.org.uk
Police advice on the best ways to protect yourself includes:
• Be careful with your personal information. If you receive a telephone call from a credit card company, bank or other retail company asking to confirm certain details about yourself decline them and ask to call them back preferably through a central switchboard.
• When destroying personal correspondence such as bank and credit card statements consider a shredder or even burning them on the garden refuse. If you cannot do either then tear the papers up into very small pieces and place in the refuse bin with other waste products.
• If you move address remember to inform all of the companies that send personal information to you in the post. Always consider re-directing your post with Royal Mail. If you fail to do this people moving in might have free access to your personal details and misappropriate them.
How do you know if are victim to this type of fraud?
• Are you missing your regular monthly statements?
• Have you noticed charges to your accounts that are not yours?
• Remember to check all statements especially bank and credit card.
• Being contacted by a debt collection agency about outstanding payments for items or services that you have not ordered.
Take Action - Act Quickly
• Firstly do not ignore the problem it might not be you that has ordered some goods or opened an account but the debt falls to your name and address.
• Once blacklisted for credit it may take many years to fully recover the problem you might have difficulties in obtaining a mortgage or other bank credit.
(Source: http://www.met.police.uk/fraudalert/section/identity_fraud.htm)
