According to a survey by Which? magazine issued today, a quarter of UK adults have had their identity stolen or know someone who has fallen victim to ID fraud. In light of this, specialist IT consultancy, Detica has warned of the need for the British public to take online security as seriously as the physical security of their possessions.
David Porter, Head of Security and Risk at Detica explains: Whilst Which? rightly points out the need for individuals to shred documents before putting them in the bin, protecting online identity is equally as important. The frustrating thing about identity fraud is that it is so easy to commit because people do not take sensible precautions when on the Internet. Haste, ignorance and greed are the weak spots that fraudsters are ready to exploit. Take phishing e-mails, for example. Most amateur phishing messages are easy enough to spot. They contain bad grammar, spelling mistakes and totally inappropriate language for a commercial organisation. People should be more challenging and less trusting of these kinds of e-mails and should take the time to spot the telltale signs rather than fall into the trap of blindly following instructions from an apparent authority.
Porter continues: People also need to slow down and think before clicking on any kind of e-mail or website link, or downloading any kind of electronic attachment. Doing so could easily activate a nasty virus, trojan or keylogging programme and open the door to ID theft.
According to Porter everyone has a role to play in the fight against identity fraud: Financial institutions should be more careful about sending out indiscriminate letters offering credit cards and personal loans as these can be packed full of material potentially valuable to an ID fraudster. Online websites should not ask for a motherís maiden name or date of birth for password purposes and the police should be given more resources to take identity fraud more seriously. However, the biggest role falls to the general public who should take more responsibility for guarding their own identity - selecting easily guessable passwords, using the same one for different website services, never bothering to change a password or using the same number for Chip and PIN cards is asking for trouble and only a certain amount of blame can be shifted back to the authorities.
Porter concludes: Identity is also about your biography as much as it is about your biometric features, password or PIN number. People should also think twice before freely disclosing details about their lives, loves, jobs and hobbies on websites aimed at forming or reuniting social contacts. They should also be cautious about submitting personal CVs to recruitment websites that offer open access to all as this could simply hand identity fraudsters all they need on a plate. People need to be more proactive so that they can unmask identity fraud at an earlier stage. They should regularly check their statements, bills and credit records. The best person for spotting irregularities in transactions or the way a service is used is that individual not the banks or the police.
Identity fraud: Time to wise up and start taking responsibility says Detica
According to a survey by Which? magazine issued today, a quarter of UK adults have had their identity stolen or know someone who has fallen victim to ID fraud
