The worst regions for identity theft

Discover which town has overtaken London to become the worst region for identity theft in the UK.

It seems identity fraud can happen to anyone. Across the pond, celebrities such as Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey have famously fallen victim to the crime.

In the UK, however, it’s the residents of Slough who are at greatest risk of having their personal information stolen, according to research from credit referencing agency Experian.

The town, famously home to blundering boss David Brent in The Office, recorded 25 attempts of identity theft per 1,000 households.

The programme’s creator and star Ricky Gervais was himself the victim of attempted identity theft in 2009, when fraudsters tried to steal more than £200,000 from his bank account.

Next up, London, Gravesend, Birmingham and Luton also made the list of hotspots.

Top 10 nationwide	Cases per 10,000 households	Top 10 in London	Cases per 10,000 households
Slough	25	East Ham	78
London (all)	22	Woolwich	46
Gravesend	20	Stratford	43
Birmingham	17	Ilford	33
Luton	16	Walthamstow	27
Manchester	15	Harrow	27
Leicester	14	Cheapside	26
High Wycombe	13	Lewisham	26
Peterborough	13	Hatfield	26
Windsor	12	Enfield	26
Source: Experian

The Olympics effect

In previous years, London has been named as the worst region for identity theft. Although the city has been overtaken in the latest set of results, the research did reveal interesting trends in the capital.

According to the data, regions in the vicinity of Olympic sites have experienced particularly high incidences of identity theft.

For instance, people living in Olympic neighbourhood East Ham were targeted at 11 times above the national average rate. Likewise, Stratford and Woolwich were also high risk areas.

Who is most at risk?

According to the data, young people renting small flats are the most common victims – being two and a half times more likely to be targeted than the average Brit.

Notably, this the first time such individuals have been the highest risk demographic. ‘Identity fraudsters have traditionally focused the bulk of their attentions on the wealthiest sections of society living in prestigious London postcodes,’ said Nick Mothershaw, UK Director of Identity and Fraud Services at Experian.

Reducing the risk of identity theft

Fortunately, there are a number of steps you can take to protect your personal data wherever you live in the UK.

Don’t forget about your mail: If you move to another property, it’s sensible to contact your debtors and creditors to notify them of the change.

If you’re concerned that some post may still be going to your previous address, Royal Mail offers a redirection service – though there is a fee.

Keep important documents safe: Carrying around a birth certificate or National Insurance card could make you vulnerable to identity theft should these documents be stolen or lost.

Vary your passwords: Using the same password for every online account could make it easier for fraudsters to gain access to your banking details.

To learn more, see How you’re putting your cash at risk and Signs your identity has been stolen

**This material is for information purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. We strongly encourage our readers not to rely solely on this content, but to seek independent advice when making financial decisions.**

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