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Identity theft at all-time high: British officials

Identity theft now accounts for two-thirds of all frauds, according to Britain's fraud prevention service.

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FP Archives|Jul 24, 2012, 22:08:13 IST

London: Identity theft now accounts for two-thirds of all frauds, according to Britain's fraud prevention service.According to the latest figures released by CIFAS - the country's Fraud Prevention Service, identity theft is at unprecedented levels, The Telegraph reported.[caption id="attachment_389674" align="alignleft" width="380"] Image used for representation. Courtesy: Facebook[/caption]The abuse of identity details, such as dates of birth, postcodes and internet logins, now accounts for two thirds of all frauds.Figures from the "Fraudscape Bulletin 2012" published Tuesday by CIFAS show that misuse of identity details forms 65 percent of all reported fraud.Earlier this month, it was announced one million Android Forum users' accounts and 450,000 Yahoo Voice usernames and passwords had been stolen.Consumer research commissioned by Experian CreditExpert last month found that the average person has 26 different online accounts. Worryingly, 24 percent of users use the same password for most profiles, according to the newspaper.As Peter Turner, at Experian Consumer Services warned: "Using a different password for each account will minimise risks, but if password information is stolen from a website, all accounts using the same details will be compromised."IANS

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First Published:Jul 24, 2012, 22:08:12 IST
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