A recent report has been issues detailing statistics relating to the risks of identity theft. This comes at a time when many consumers are in fear over the safety of their personal data, with data loss blunders from banks and government agencies fuelling concerns over the risks of identity theft. The data comes from the DQM Group, and shows who is most at risk from becoming a victim of identity theft as well as detailing the level of distrust that consumers now have in banks and agencies.

From the information in the report it is indicated that if you are a young, male professional living in the London area then you are at most risk of becoming a victim of identity fraud. Males in the younger age group are more likely to become victims of this sort of crime, and London is the highest risk area when it comes to identity fraud, which means that a young male in London is at increased risk.

The report also showed that around half of consumers in the UK do not trust high street banks with their personal data. In other reports data has shown that around 70% of us feel as though we have no control over the safety of our personal data when in the hands of banks and government agencies, and this comes after massive data loss blunders caused widespread concern last year over the safety of sensitive and personal data for millions of people.

One industry official said: ‘The majority of adults in the UK have a bank or building society account, yet just half actually trust those organisations with their personal information. Well over 45m people in the UK have a mobile phone, but less than one in 10 of those polled trust their mobile company with their   personal details.’

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