London is still the identity fraud capital of the UK, according to research released today into identity fraud trends.
Experian, the global information solutions provider, revealed that those living inside the M25 are more than three-and-a-half times more likely to be victims of identity fraud.
Kensington residents however, are almost five times more likely to fall victim to fraudsters, which is higher than the UK national average.
Commuter towns outside of London also feature amongst the highest risk areas.
Residents of Guildford, Slough and St Albans are also more than twice as likely to fall as pray to fraudster predators compared to the rest of the UK.
Around 2,570 victims of identity fraud have contacted Experian in the first six months of this year, representing a 68% year-on-year increase of identity fraud activity.
Present address fraud, continues to be the most common ID fraud offence, accounting for 39% of frauds reported during the first six months of the year.
The Experian Victims of Fraud Dossier Part III also revealed that cases of forwarding address fraud raised the most from 22% in the second half of 2006 to 32% in the first six months of 2007.
According to Experian’s CreditExpert each fraud case on average costs the financial organization involved around £680.
Mail order companies were hit harder than most in terms of fraud volumes, accounting for 68% of all new cases.
However it is loan providers that suffer the most financially. The average cost per case for fraudulently obtain loans has risen to £6,138 in comparison to the figure £4,797 reported in the second half of 2006.
Helen Lord, Fraud and Regulatory Compliance Director at Experian, comments: “Some people are more likely than others to become a victim and consumers are more aware of the threat than ever before”.
In addition to the dossier, Experian have offered tips to help consumers protect themselves from fraudsters.
According to Experian consumers should: “Destroy documents showing personal details before throwing them away”, using a shredder to destroy documents such as: bank statements, utility bills, application forms and chequebook stubs.
Word Count: 346
1 comment:
Intro good only 19 words though. Does tell the story and is active.
8 out of 10.
Second paragraph fills in the gaps and elaborates on intro, also answers 5 w's.
You use sources which backs up story. You choose the most important/relevant statistics to your intended audience. The story is newsworthy, your punctuation is generally good. But around quotes, remember fullstops should be inside quotes.
You have identified your audience which is London residents.
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