Identity thieves start to target mobile phones

Posted in 'Identity Theft' by Richard Catlin

14 September 2009

The number of cases of identity fraud involving mobile phone accounts has increased dramatically in the past year.

Although still very small in comparison to other types of financial fraud, the number of victims of mobile phone identity theft increased by 74% in the first six months of 2009, compared to the same period last year. CIFAS, the UK's fraud prevention service reported that there were 633 confirmed cases, as well as many more that were detected and prevented.

The fraud involves criminals using personal details procured about the account holder to change the registered address, obtain new handsets and run up huge bills. The first that consumers often know about the theft is when their phone provider starts taking large payments from their bank account.

Sorting out the mess will be the responsibility of the consumer, who may well have to ensure that their credit rating hasn't been damaged as well as restoring the account to the way it should be.

Meanwhile, new research has revealed that most UK consumers are placing themselves at increased risk of falling victim to identity fraud by making their online passwords too easy to guess.

The study found that not only were most passwords not complex enough - more often than not simply consisting of memorable dates or children's and pet's names - but also that a high percentage of people used a single password for everything - from online banking and shopping to social networking sites such as Facebook.

Fraudsters are employing ever-more complex methods of stealing personal information, but often still rely on factors like this to be able to secure the information they are looking for. Armed with a few basic details gleaned from a social networking site, they could soon have emptied a bank account and taken control of a mobile phone.

Identity theft has reared its ugly head with a vengeance since the onset of the recession, as criminals increasingly target existing, strong credit ratings to exploit. The first six months of this year saw 25,692 victims of identity theft, and 52,000 victims of impersonation fraud.

There is no guaranteed way of avoiding becoming a victim, but you can certainly make things much harder for criminals and improve your chances of staying safe with just a few simple steps. Our Free Identity Theft Check Service allows you to see whether you are more vulnerable than average, and which areas of your lifestyle might put you at risk. You can also see whether your own password habits are less secure than they should be.

Check whether you are at risk.