In brief...: Employers 'ignorant of data safety'

Oct 10 2008

Three-QUARTERS of British employees believe their company is failing to do enough to protect them from ID fraud, research indicated.

More than half think sensitive documents could be stolen from desks, while 72 per cent said dishonest colleagues could leak information to fraudsters.

But individuals are not without blame themselves - 64 per cent of adults do not understand how best to reduce the risk of ID theft, the study found.

The figures were released to coincide with the beginning of National Identity Fraud Prevention week - a Government-backed initiative to warn of the dangers of identity fraud.

Official statistics show that the crime costs the UK economy more than £1billion every year. In the UK alone some 4.3million adults have fallen victim to identity fraudsters.

A survey of the attitudes of more than 1,000 British adults found that 95 per cent realise that they are at risk.

But a large section are failing to undertake simple measures to protect themselves.

Around 14 per cent surf the web unprotected, without sufficient security software. And a third of respondents said they did not always report the loss of important documents such as passports or driving licences.