Is your handbag keeping your identity safe?

Before you read on, have a look in your handbag. Are you carrying more than one of the following: credit card, payslips, cheque book and national insurance number? If the answer is yes, you are leaving yourself open to identity fraud. Imagine someone else driving a brand new car, shopping with your money, and you probably wouldn?t be aware of it until they start damaging your credit ? not paying for that lavish new car, or store card.

And we seem to be bringing it on ourselves by ramming everything we can into our handbags. And we are more vulnerable to identity fraud because of what we carry in their handbags, according to a survey by credit reference agency, Equifax.

The survey revealed that 80% of women carry their credit and debit cards around with them at all times. While many may argue that this is a necessity, and fair enough, but you don?t need to carry additional information payslips, cheque books and national insurance number with you everyday, do you? If your handbag were stolen, you would more than make a fraudsters day ? they would have all the information they need to start spending at your expense!

And, unfortunately, many women also carry those other pieces of vital personal information in their handbags too! 22% said they kept their National Insurance number in their handbag and 32% said they also keep receipts in their bag.

“Information is our greatest asset these days” confirmed Neil Munroe, of, Equifax. “And, according to our survey, women are carrying around enough information for a fraudster to apply for loans, mortgages, credit cards and bank accounts in their name. As our survey revealed, anything from payslips, driving licences and mobile phones can be found in a handbag and this is all it takes to commit identity Fraud.”

The survey also revealed that 80% of women carry their keys along with proof of their home address, giving fraudsters instant access to their home. And what makes these findings particularly alarming is the fact that 23% of women who said they had been victims of identity fraud, said it was as a result of personal belongings being lost or stolen.

“While everyone knows they should cancel credit and debit cards and mobile phone contracts if their bag is stolen, says Munroe. “They may be less aware of the other items in their bag which could lead to them becoming victims of fraud.”

“Apart from the anxiety and stress caused to victims of identity Fraud, it can take up to 300 hours of phone calls to deal with banks, credit card companies and other lenders in order to get details corrected,” adds Munroe. “This incurs enormous personal time, effort, distress and cost to the victim. Prevention is definitely better than cure. Our advice is that people should only take out with them what they absolutely need for the day, and women in particular should always keep a close eye on their handbag, in order to minimise the risk of falling victim.”

Top 10 hazardous handbag items

1. Cheque book ? Gives identity thieves account numbers and sort codes ? and if you leave the address form on the front, home address too!
2. Credit card receipts ? Could reveal card numbers and provide access to an account by using information on recent transactions.
3. Payslip ? Reveals NI number, address, employer and salary details ? ideal for fraudsters!
4. Bank Statements ? Could be used to open further accounts or for accessing personal information.
5. Utility bill ? Could be used for identity verification when applying for credit or opening up a bank account.
6. Driving licence ? Provides valuable personal information such as address and date of birth.
7. Gym and other membership cards ? These could potentially give access to personal information.
8. Mobile phones ? Surprisingly, many people store PINs and other personal information on their phone.
9. Passport ? Could be used to create a new identity for identity verification.
10. Diary ? Holds personal details and could reveal passwords.

What to do if your handbag is stolen
Equifax advises that you take these steps if your bag is stolen:

• Cancel all credit and debit cards
• Inform your bank
• Check your bank statements for any unusual transactions
• Obtain a copy of your credit file from a credit reference agency (www.equifax.co.uk)
• Register with a monitoring service such as Equifax Credit Watch, which will alert you if there are any changes to their credit file.
• You can also notify CIFAS, which runs a Protective Registration service so that a notice can be placed on their credit file informing lenders that they may be at risk of identity fraud. Call 0870 010 2091.