Identity theft is still one of the UK's fastest growing crimes. So these days everyone needs to protect themselves by shredding personal and confidential documents. worklifehome.co.uk and Fellowes, supporters of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, provide the power and muscle to tear through paper, envelopes and even CDs, with ease.
ID Fraud – the Facts
~ Personal information such as your date of birth, address, mother's maiden name and passwords are now as valuable as money. This could be enough information for a fraudster to open bank accounts, apply for credit cards, loans and much more
~ A bin raiding survey commissioned by Fellowes for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week showed that an alarming 97% of household waste contained at least one or more items which could assist fraudsters in stealing an identity
~ Even more worryingly, the survey also revealed that almost half of all households threw away everything a potential fraudster would need to steal a persons identity
~ Current address (or present address fraud) accounted for almost half of all identity fraud cases reported to Experian in the second half of 2006 ~ It takes 467 days to discover that you are a victim of identity fraud, according to Experian
~ The last official estimate puts the cost of identity fraud at £1.7 billion, according to figures published by the Home Office in February 2006
~ Businesses are being just as careless as households with sensitive information, with 79% of businesses making no effort to destroy sensitive material that is thrown away or being prepared for recycling
~ Incredibly, companies are not just risking their own identities but also those of their customers and employees. 40% of businesses risk their clients identities by throwing away information on their customers which includes home addresses, phone numbers and photocopies of passports - all of which can be used by a criminal to steal a persons identity (survey commissioned by Fellowes)
To be in with a chance of winning a Fellowes FS-7C Personal Shredder worth £85.99, simply answer the following question:
