Will the new UK passport design help stop identity fraudsters?

Posted in 'Identity Theft' by Richard Catlin

03 September 2010

Next month sees the launch of the new UK passport, aimed at reducing cases of identity theft and fraud.

The passport, which will feature iconic images from across Great Britain as well as improved security features, will be issued from 5th October.

Most noticeable of the new security features is that the chip that stores the personal details of the passport owner has moved inside the cover, making it harder to access without causing visible signs of tampering. There is also the addition of a second photograph, printed on the ‘observations’ page, and new holograms now cover the holder's photograph.

The pages that carry space for ‘stamps’ and visas now feature images of well-known British landmarks such as the White Cliffs of Dover and Ben Nevis across the whole double page, rather than the consistent swirly design seen on all pages of the current passport design.

Passport fraud was described by Interpol as the ‘biggest threat facing the World’ earlier this year, when it revealed that there are an estimated 11 million passports listed as missing or stolen Worldwide.

On a similar note, the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) revealed that a total of 279,000 passports were lost or stolen in the UK or abroad between April 2009 and March 2010.

The current biometric passport design was introduced in 2006, and has been issued to everyone applying for a passport since the beginning of this year. It was described as ‘fake proof’ by the IPS, despite a number of experts questioning just how safe it was. Concerns were also raised when a shipment of 3000 passports were stolen in 2008. The IPS described the blanks as worthless.

As well as combating the use of fake passports in crimes such as people-trafficking, drugs and terrorism, the new design should make it harder for fraudsters to produce fake passports that can be used in financial fraud.

Facility Takeover Fraud – where a fraudster gains access to an innocent party's account and operates it without their knowledge – is one area in particular that initiatives such as the new passport are aimed at reducing.

Levels of identity fraud in general have continued to rise in recent years. The first six months of 2009 saw a 14% increase compared with the same period last year, whilst the number of victims increased by 22% in the six months to June.

You can check to make sure you’re doing everything you should be to stay safe from identity fraudsters by using our free Identity Theft Check Service on checkmyfile. You’ll find advice on how to better guard against falling victim, plus a breakdown of any specific parts of your lifestyle that might leave you vulnerable.

Check your risk of Identity Theft now