Brits risk ID theft on social networking sites

Britons are displaying an alarmingly lax attitude to security when it comes to posting sensitive personal information online.

A new survey of social networking site users in the UK reveals that even though the majority (65%) are worried about identity theft, more than half (57%) are happy to publish their date of birth on their personal pages.

Publishing detailed biographical information is risky as it can be used by fraudsters to divert sensitive financial information to a different address and commit identity fraud.

The study, commissioned by Tesco Identity Protection Alert, found that participants are posting other sensitive information which could be used by fraudsters to open accounts in site users' names. Fifty six per cent disclose the name of their home town and 31 per cent their employment details.

Compounding the risk of fraud is the fact that 18 per cent of participants claim that they allow the information to be seen by "everyone" -- accessible to anyone who uses the site -- and almost three in ten Britons have accepted "friend requests" from people that they do not actually know - giving the "friend" access to potentially sensitive personal information.

Despite recommendations from social networking sites that users should change their passwords regularly to avoid unauthorised users accessing accounts, three out of five Britons have never actually changed their password.

One third of those surveyed said that identity theft did not concern them, even though there has been a sharp rise in cases since 2006. Victims of such theft have had a range of financial products and services taken out in their name including loans, bank accounts, credit cards and even mortgages.

Security expert Michael Lynch from CPP comments on the findings: "Cases of ID fraud are on the rise and we encourage individuals to be more vigilant with their personal details. The information that people are displaying on social networking sites is the very information that financial services organisations often request to verify identity. In the wrong hands, the information could easily be abused.

"We recommend that people do not publish their date of birth, previous education, employment and family details on social networking sites. We also suggest that they regularly change passwords and do not save log in details on to any computer."

Responding to the rise in identity fraud, Tesco this year teamed up with fraud experts CPP launching Tesco Identity Protection Alert, a comprehensive insurance that not only helps prevent identity theft, but also offers expert support if anything goes wrong.

Offering customers up to £60,000 worth of cover to restore their identity, and assistance from an identity theft expert if they become a victim of fraud, Tesco Identity Protection Alert costs £79.99 a year. It also includes unlimited Experian credit reports online credit alerts by email or SMS, and a leading online security company will check for customers' personal details on unsecure websites and public databases.

To apply, and for 1,000 Clubcard Points on new policies opened until 31 December 2008, call 0844 848 1514.