Millions risk ID theft by failing to take action

MILLIONS of people are putting themselves at risk from identity theft by failing to take basic precautions to guard against the crime, research showed today.

One in four admits to not shredding personal documents, despite the fact that these could be used by criminals to apply for credit in their name. At the same time, a third said they had the same password or PIN for more than one of their accounts, according to credit reference agency MyCallcredit.

Nearly three out of ten people said they had credit facilities open that they had not used for more than a year, while half said they had never checked their credit file to see if someone had applied to borrow money in their name.

Alison Nicholson, director of MyCallcredit, said: "ID theft is one of the fastest-growing types of fraud, yet our research shows people aren't taking the necessary steps to protect themselves."

ID theft affects around 100,000 people in the UK each year, and the Government estimates it costs around 1.3 billion annually.