British card users offered security advice

July 1, 2006

Owners of credit and debit cards have been offered advice on security by credit report service MyCallcredit, which has said that millions of Britons are at risk of suffering identity fraud.

One of the primary reasons for this, according to the organisation, is that too many people fail to cancel credit facilities that are no longer in use.

It is estimated that 31.5 million people in the UK held an average of 2.4 personal credit and charge cards each at the end of 2005, but that around one in three of these cards was no longer in use.

"This means that millions of people have stopped using a credit or store card without telling their lender, the facility is still available and a fraudster can quite easily use it to rack up debts in someone else's name without fear of early detection," said Mel Mitchley, director of Callcredit.

There is also a danger regarding offers of cards through the post, Callcredit warns, as an offer to take up a card which is thrown away rather than being shredded gives a fraudster the chance to take up credit in another person's name.

"People need to take care of their ID by checking their credit file and cancelling any unused credit facilities. They also need to shred personal documents, including direct mail, before they throw it away," Ms Mitchley added.

Callcredit offers some useful information to consumers, such as the fact that a credit facility remains open on a file until the lender is informed, even if the card has been destroyed, and that criminals can access dormant facilities by simply obtaining personal details of a customer.