ID theft 'threatens almost all UK homes'

More than 21 million UK households are in the firing line of identity fraud as Britons continue to throw away documents that could be useful to rubbish-rummaging fraudsters.

This equates to 97 per cent of households chucking away materials containing full name, title, sex, address and postcode details, research conducted by business advisor Waste Works has revealed.

Nearly a third (30 per cent) of people had thrown away material with details of a whole credit or debit card number and nearly half (48 per cent) chucked away everything a fraudster needs in order to steal a person's ID, according to the research.

Personal IDs are not only available from bins. Documents taken during burglaries and from wallets, and from post being snatched from doorsteps - or after people forget to redirect mail - are all ways fraudsters can obtain personal details, research from Perpetuity Research and Consultancy International found.

Impersonating the dead is another method used by fraudsters, including the misuse of birth certificates.

And lest we forget the digital threats out there - a report out today shows phishing remains a serious problem, with RSA Security reporting a 48 per cent increase in the number of attacks over the past four months.

While overall numbers have increased, the banks being targeted remain static - leading RSA to suggest the fraudsters are currently enjoying success with the brands they are spoofing.

Stolen identities, whether gained through stealing from bins or through phishing can be used to apply for bank accounts, credit cards and mobile phone contracts as well as identification documents such as passports.

These findings coincide with the launch of the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, which seeks to stop the complacent attitude found in the UK.