Alarming increase in cases of identity fraud

CreditExpert.co.uk from Experian, the market-leading online identity fraud protection and credit monitoring service, today reports an increase in identity fraud of 12%.

According to data derived from National Hunter, a fraud prevention database operated by Experian, there has been a significant increase in the number of fraudsters making applications for credit cards, loans, automotive finance and mortgages using other people's identities since the start of the year:

in the first three months of 2009 (Jan-Mar) there were 11.91 cases of identity fraud per 10,000 applications

in Q2 2009 (Apr-Jun) there were 12.72 cases of identity fraud per 10,000 applications - an increase of 6.8% compared with the start of the year

in Q3 2009 (Jul-Sept) there were 13.37 cases of identity fraud per 10,000 applications - an increase of 12.3% compared with the start of the year

Darryl Bowman from CreditExpert says: "The surge in cases of identity fraud is very worrying. As we get wiser to protecting ourselves from fraud, it's clear that criminals are working even harder to steal our personal details so they can apply for credit.

Missing post, unexpected phone calls and strange emails are signs we look out for and know suggest potentially fraudulent activity. Criminals also know this and that's why they use techniques that can take a long time to detect. A new catalogue account at a new address could be the stepping stone to much more significant lines of credit and ultimately a much bigger problem for the victim to resolve."