Home insurance provider warns against identity theft

Prudential, one of Britain’s major home insurance providers, has urged customers to be diligent in re-directing their mail to new home addresses.

According to the company, identity theft is the fastest growing criminal offence in the UK with the current cost to the economy reported to rest at around £1.7 billion a year. Nonetheless, 1 in 5 of those moving home do not consider redirection of mail to be a priority for them.

Research suggests some 23% of houses have received bank statements belonging to previous occupants and 50% have received bills, insurance documents and credit card statements meant for ex-residents. Prudential warns that information can get into the wrong hands and that, as a result, more than 100,000 people [are] being affected by identity fraud each year. In spite of this, a quarter of households fail to take even basic precautions. Prudential Home Insurance offers a number of recommendations as to how to avoid identity theft, and assistance comes as standard for the company’s customers who opt for legal protection.