Tuesday 2nd January 2007
Customers at Sainsburys Bank are being offered protection against identity fraud in a bid to improve security and prevent against criminal activity.
Sainsburys Bank warns that many consumers fail to properly wipe their hard drives when discarding computers, leaving themselves vulnerable to identity theft.
It is estimated that over 30 per cent of all computers discarded during Christmas will contain sensitive information that was not destroyed, posing a security risk if it was to fall into the wrong hands.
PrivacyGuard from Sainsburys Bank offers customers regular credit reports and ongoing monitoring, working to highlight any discrepancies quickly.
"You can end up storing a great deal of personal information on your computer so it makes sense to wipe clean or destroy the drive," explained Donald MacLeod, credit card manager at Sainsburys Bank.
"Identity theft is a very serious problem and it is important we all take preventative measures," he added.
Sainsburys Bank reports that some 4.1 million Brits have been victims of identity theft, whilst reports from the UK fraud prevention service CIFAS suggest that ID theft has risen by 500 per cent since 1999.
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