Nationwide hit list as organised crime finds a new target
By Iain S. Bruce, Technology Editor

Fraud experts have pinpointed the Scottish streets being targeted by organised crime in a £170million identity theft spree.

Using cutting-edge computer modeling technology, researchers at the credit reference agency Experian have analysed the details of 10,000 identity crimes to identify the 10 areas in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh where residents are most at risk of falling victim to Scotland's fastest-growing crime.

Now the company, which reported a 66% increase in cases last year, is calling upon those in the areas at critical risk to exercise extreme caution when handling their personal information.

"Identity fraud is rising at an alarming rate," said James Jones, Experian's senior fraud expert, "largely because it is increasingly being practised by highly organised and professional criminal groups.

"We have plenty of evidence to show that gangs involved in drug trafficking, people smuggling and even terrorism have recognised the potential gains to be had from this type of crime and are now routinely targeting private individuals.

"We have zeroed in on the Scottish homes most at risk because people need to be aware of the threat. Despite all the publicity surrounding the issue, 50% of the wheelie bins we checked in a recent random survey contained enough information to steal the owners' identities."

Residents of the G5 8 postcode sector, which covers approximately 1000 households in Clyde Place, Kingston Street, Riverview Drive, Paisley Road and the surrounding streets on Glasgow's south side, are at greater risk of identity fraud than any other area in Scotland. Experian says the locality is home to so many of the social groups and housing types targeted by fraudsters that residents are four times more likely to become victims than the average Scot.

In search of lucrative profits, the criminal profilers' most sought-after targets are high-flying professionals earning more than £50,000 a year. They are three times more likely than the UK average to become victims, although the fraudsters' typical target will be a homeowner aged from 26 to 45.

Residents of flats and rented accommodation are next on the identity criminal's target list. The use of communal mailboxes makes stealing post containing vital personal information relatively easy, while leased addresses can be a rich source of bank statements, bills and loan offers intended for former residents.

With the personal details of Scottish citizens available for sale online at £1 per person and each capable of yielding an average of around £1000 in easy money, fraudsters are prepared to go to considerable lengths to hijack the identities of prime targets. Gangs routinely attempt to intercept mail prior to delivery, set up false redirection orders at the Post Office and rake through household rubbish to glean the information they need.

In March, one fraudster was sentenced to seven years after admitting numerous identity frauds against women. In at least one case he had seduced and moved in with his victim before stealing her passport, birth certificate and bank details, which he subsequently used to obtain credit cards, mobile phones, and mail order goods.

Another victim was Mary MacDonald. She doesn't know for certain how she was snared, but she has a sneaking suspicion that they got her using mail lost in the course of moving house. Either way, for close to a year somebody used the 37-year-old Glasgow professional's details to run up debts totaling £6900 on store cards and catalogue accounts that crippled her credit rating and resulted in months of work and worries.

"I only found out that my identity had been stolen when I was refused a car loan. I couldn't believe it because I had no other credit arrangements or arrears of any kind, and it was only after finally checking into my credit history that I discovered store card and loan applications I knew nothing about," she said.

"In fairness the companies involved were pretty helpful and the debt was eventually removed from my name, but the entire procedure took a lot of time, effort and hassle. In the end it took just over a year to sort everything out and return to where I had been before it all started."

To guard against falling victim to such scams, experts advise consumers to regularly monitor their personal credit report using services such as creditexpert.co.uk, to monitor their mail for missing items, destroy documents showing personal details before throwing them away and to ensure that the Royal Mail, your bank and organisations such as mobile phone providers are informed of any changes of address.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) has joined experts in warning Scots to be aware of the risk of identity fraud. While recognising that this type of crime represents a growing issue, the service claims that it is pursuing multiple initiatives designed to combat the problem.

An Acpos spokesman told the Sunday Herald: "We are working together with a range of partners to ensure that the threat of fraud is tackled. The Scottish Police Service has a range of responses to all aspects of crime including fraud and any recommendations as to how these can be improved will be carefully considered. All aspects of fraud are carefully monitored and investigated."