The office – a hub for ID theft

How much do you trust your colleagues? According to research conducted by Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance, workers are risking identity theft by being careless with their personal information in the office.

The Sheilas’ Wheels ‘Office Trust’ survey highlights that four in five office workers (83 per cent) say that they completely trust the people they work with and one in five (22 per cent) believe that their colleagues know as much about them as their closest friends. But with the cost of identity theft in the UK now over £1.7 billion per year, it’s important for everyone to take steps to protect their personal information at all times – around strangers and people they know - to give no-one the oppportunity to steal their identity.

The office came top of the list of places where Brits feel most comfortable giving personal details over the phone, only seconded by the home. According to the survey, two thirds of office workers (66 per cent) admitted to making private phone calls at their desks and openly disclosing personal information. In fact, one in five (20 per cent) have regularly overheard colleagues giving answers to common security questions, such as mother’s maiden name, place of birth, and stating their debit/credit card security codes.

Although many attempt to be discreet by speaking quietly (40 per cent), turning their back to colleagues (25 per cent) and covering their mouth to muffle the sound (9 per cent), it’s almost impossible not to be overheard in the average open-plan office space.

The most common personal calls made at the office that often require the disclosure of extensive personal information are:

Booking a doctor’s appointment (54 per cent) – which can require a date of birth
Paying bills such as credit cards and utility bills (25 per cent)
Bank account enquiries such as requesting a bank balance (24 per cent)
Renewing insurance policies such as car, home, travel and pet insurance (22 per cent)
Shopping - ordering and paying for goods (19 per cent)
Booking flights and holidays (15 per cent)

In fact, office staff are not only being overheard but also overlooked - as 61 per cent of those polled said that their computer screen was clearly visible to colleagues sitting nearby. This poses an identity theft risk as over a third (36 per cent) of office workers rely on the internet at work to manage their personal finances, with a fifth (22 per cent) admitting to checking their current account, credit cards, savings and investments at least once a week. Almost one million (6 per cent or 918,778) make online checks on a daily basis.

Having a clear desk is definitely the best policy when it comes to protecting identity. Surprisingly, almost two thirds (60 per cent) of office employees leave personal information lying around on desks – easily accessible to anyone passing by - and female office workers appear to be most trusting. The items regularly left unattended by office workers across the UK are:

Wallets and purses (44 per cent) – 56 per cent of women
Handbags or ‘Manbags’ (34 per cent) – 68 per cent of women
Receipts (29 per cent)
Personal post (25 per cent)
Financial documents – including insurance certificates (17 per cent)
Utility bills (14 per cent)
Bank or credit card statements (11 per cent)

Alarmingly, 3 per cent of office workers (459,389) have let a colleague use their bank or credit card for work purposes - including withdrawing cash from an ATM on their behalf. Also, one in seven (14 per cent) regularly use their office bin to throw away private documents, such as utility bills, which contain information that could be used as a proof of address.

Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance, commented: “Longer working hours, the rise in the dual income family and increasingly hectic lives are causing many Brits to manage their personal and household finances in the office rather than at home.

But with such a lack of privacy in open plan workplaces, it’s crucial to protect your personal information at all times – not just from strangers but also people you may have known for some time. Remove the temptation from fellow workers by keeping private phone calls, paperwork and finances just that - private.”

Darryl Bowman at Experian, commented: “If you are concerned that your identity could have been compromised in your place of work, a credit monitoring service, such as CreditExpert, will alert you to any significant changes to your credit report that could indicate that someone is trying to steal your identity. Regularly checking your credit report to ensure that you recognise all the activity is so effective that it is also recommended by the Home Office as a means of protecting your identity.”

Regional breakdown:

Office workers in Yorkshire make the most number of personal phone calls at work (76 per cent) whilst Londoners make the most of the company internet by managing their personal finances in the office (55 per cent).

Those from the North West are most trusting of their colleagues, with 6 per cent having permitted the use of their credit/debit card to make an online purchase or withdraw money from their account for work purposes.

The Welsh appear to be talking too loudly as 27 per cent have overheard colleagues answering security questions on the phone.

Londoners are the messiest workers - 74 per cent leave personal information on their desks and one in four (25 per cent) throw private documents in their office bin.

Sheilas’ Wheels Home Insurance offers free online access to the CreditExpert identity theft and fraud detection service – provided by Experian and worth over £80 per year - with either buildings or contents cover. Experian will monitor credit reports and provide alerts to help customers detect potential fraudulent activity.