Young people 'popular target for credit card fraudsters'

It is crucial that people take steps to prevent their financial information from being compromised by identity thieves, it has been reported.
Britons are being urged to prevent their personal details from falling into the wrong hands.

In particular, CreditExpert - the ID fraud protection service from Experian - claims that young people need to take caution.

Research from the firm indicates that young single adults who typically live in shared rented accommodation and are on a reasonable income are at greatest risk of having their credit cards, bank accounts and other financial products compromised.

Single Britons in their 30s living in rented flats and "high-flying" graduates saving for a mortgage deposit are also among those deemed to be particularly susceptible to be targeted by such fraudsters.

The vulnerability was attributed to those who rent being popular targets for mail interception, a method often used by fraudsters to obtain people's details.

Darryl Bowman, director of CreditExpert, states: "Criminals are switching their focus from the wealthy to people whose details they can get hold of more easily. Because of this, each one of us needs to be aware of the dangers of ID fraud and take steps to protect our identity and stop thieves from getting access to our personal information."

Research from the firm also reveals that London is the nation's identity fraud capital, with those living in the city around four times as likely to be targeted by such crime than the average Briton.

In an effort to protect their UK accounts, CreditExpert points out that people should take the utmost care when throwing away bank statements, utility bills and other documents containing their personal details. Instead of simply throwing them away, they should be shredded.

The checking of credit reports on a regular basis for any signs of suspicious transactions was also recommended, while consumers should notify their bank if credit card statements and other mail they have been expecting does not arrive.

Meanwhile, credit best practice guidance from Lloyds TSB last month saw people urged to be careful about how much personal information they upload to social networking websites.