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IDENTITY
THEFT:- WHERE NEXT?
THE CPP Group,
a leading Life Assistance organisation, released its latest Identity
Theft Report, which showed that identity theft continues to spiral
out of control with the public still not being vigilant enough.
As identity fraud is moving into the realm of organised crime, it is
not surprising to find that the number of identity theft fraud cases
continues to triple year-on-year with 320% increase from September
2006. A total of 1,082 serious cases of identity theft have reported
to CPP and over 205,000 calls have been made into its identity
protection advice line since January. Account takeover crime
(where a fraudster takes control of your bank account) remains the
most popular form of identity fraud and surged to over 50% of all
cases during the summer month. Fraudsters are also actively taking
out unsecured loans (16%), opening bank accounts (14%), and taking
out mobile phone contracts (12%) and credit cards (11%) in our
names.
To demonstrate how easy it is to get hold of someone’s personal
information, CPP conducted an experiment in social engineering in
October this year. Posing as market researchers from a fabricated
theatre tickets company in central London, CPP managed to get hold
of a list of important personal information from individuals
including bank details without hesitation.
According to Danny Harrison, identity theft expert at CPP:-
“It is worrying that members of the public part with their personal
information so easily, but this does not come as a surprise. The
majority of individuals have still not realised that their personal
information is the gateway to loans, bank accounts and all forms of
credit. Another recent CPP survey also reported that
two-thirds of identity theft victims confessed they didn’t look
after their personal information properly, while 15% admitted to not
changing their behaviour afterwards in order to safeguard their
personal information.” Harrison continued:-
“Over the past year we have seen not only an increase in the number
of cases of identity fraud, but also the complexity of each case.
This is partly due to the availability of tools on the internet
which can be used to commit identity fraud, such as ‘replica’
documentation, along with the false perception that it is a
victimless crime that does not hurt anyone. Consumers are
still not doing enough to safeguard themselves against identity
theft and they need to do more to look after their financial
affairs. The impact of identity fraud can lead to considerable
financial losses and put victims through great stress”.
Identity Theft Crimes Glossary and Further Analysis
Account takeover has risen drastically since January 2007, as
predicted in our previous report. It peaked during summer months as
the criminals were taking advantage of people going on vacation and
not scrutinising their statements as thoroughly as they should
A perceived drop in the number of mobile phone contracts being taken
out fraudulently is in fact masked by the sheer volume increase in
account takeovers. The documentation required to obtain a contract
phone is minimal and can easily be obtained by various methods, such
as mail redirection, mail interception, bin raiding and the purchase
of fake personal identifying documents off the internet. The crime
is easy to commit with a relatively lower reward. However, with the
latest generation of 3G phones becoming increasingly popular we
expect the financial cost of this type of fraud to increase
Fraudulent credit card application and unsecured loans are
consistently high. These are credit items which show less of a
seasonal shift. Unsecured loans are more difficult to obtain and may
require more personal information. In such circumstances an identity
theft fraudster will put considerable effort into getting this
information
False bank accounts opened currently stands at 14%. This is a crime
with high rewards but it takes more time for fraudsters to build up
a relationship with a bank before they can apply for credit cards
and loans fraudulently. For some criminals, it can be too
time-consuming to attempt
Car lease fraud doesn’t appear to be a major problem in the UK but
it can be difficult to resolve depending on what personal documents
have been used to set up the lease. In order to carry out this crime
it can require key identifying documentation like, for example, a
driving licence. This type of documentation is generally classified
as difficult to copy, and therefore if you do become a victim of
this type of fraud, it means the lease companies will ask for a lot
of proof to clear your name. As a rule, the more important the
personal information required, the harder and more complicated it is
to clear your name
Number plate cloning has stayed consistently low. This is probably
due to the fact that there is limited financial gain, rather it is
often done to avoid detection and prosecution if you are driving a
stolen car or committing more serious cases like robbery. Number
plate cloning is expected to increase with more cities introducing
congestion charges and it is relatively easy to purchase false
plates off the internet
False catalogue/store cards have remained low since March.
Fraudsters choose to take advantage of the large number of
applications during Christmas and New Year sales as it is less
likely to be caught. It would be interesting to see whether this
will pick up over the next few months |
HOPING TO MAKE IT BIG IN THE MEDIA?
HOPE
University in Liverpool, is offering the competition of a lifetime.
Up for grabs, is the chance to not only study a 3 year media degree,
with all course fees fully paid by the University, but also take
part in work experience in Radio City.
The course launched in 2003, has grown rapidly due to the hotbed of
creativity amongst the young people in North West, now currently
attracts more than 350 students. The course of study involves
television, radio, film, digital photography, animation, marketing,
PR, print journalism, media theory, popular culture, and web design.
It aims to capture the excitement of this rapidly changing and
highly influential industry. The programme has been designed
alongside the media, creative and cultural industries, so in
addition to making programmes and features, students will also
design, produce, distribute and promote their own campaigns.
The winner of the Radio City Scholarship will receive a wide range
of experiences in the programming departments of Radio City, Magic
1548 and City Talk. They will have the chance to:
· Be a runner on the Radio City Breakfast Show - including
collecting vox pops and occasionally being the presenters side kick
on the streets of Merseyside
· Experience working with the Breakfast Show producer preparing
forthcoming programmes and features
· Work with the
programming department to choose the playlist and test the music
with listeners for feedback
· Work with Programme
Director to develop innovative and effective on air competitions
· Carry out research
for City Talk shows
· To develop
programming ideas for the City Talk Station
Experience in the News and Sports Team will include:
· Shadowing the News team writing, producing and presenting stories
· Carrying out
background research for the News Team
· Working with the
online editor to transfer the stories on to the website
· Sitting in on the
Sports Shows
John McCarthy, Director of Marketing, Recruitment and External
Relations at Liverpool Hope said:- “It is excellent that
Liverpool Hope University, working in collaboration with the
region’s largest commercial radio station, is able to offer what can
only be described as ‘a life changing opportunity for one lucky
student’. The University and Radio City have worked hard to ensure
that the package on offer in the Scholarship is financially
attractive and provides invaluable work experience in the field.”
How to apply
To be eligible to win the Scholarship, you must apply to study BA
Media (Single Honours or Combined) with Liverpool Hope University,
making us FIRST CHOICE on your UCAS application. Details of how to
apply are available on the UCAS website. Once in receipt of your
application, Liverpool Hope will contact you directly with further
information. Tel 0151 291 3111
You can also
email or visit
www.hope.ac.uk
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