ID theft set to double in Britain in next three years]

[Randy Mueller <randallm () fidmail com>]

DrSolly!!!!! move to America!!!

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Viruslist.com - News - ID theft set to double in Britain in 
next three years
Date:   Wed, 1 Nov 2006 20:50:24 +0300 (MSK)
From:   news () kaspersky com
To:     vlnews_plain_en () list kaspersky com



*ID theft set to double in Britain in next three years
1 Nov 2006*

*****

Identity theft is quickly becoming an increasingly widespread and costly
crime. A new report released in the United Kingdom has revealed that
despite the number of victims in Britain already reaching 100,000, it is
set to rise even further, with up to 200,000 victims of ID theft
expected by 2010. Since the identity of each Briton on average could
yield as much as GBP85,000 to ID thieves, such a massive jump in the
number of victims is not surprising at all. This significant sum, which
so attracts cybercriminals, is mostly made up of the average
GBP14,000 on existing balances in peoples credit and debit
cards and GBP60,000 that can be accessed via new credit lines.
Criminals can make the rest by selling these identities (passports,
driving licences etc.) and services that require counterfeit or stolen
documents, such as sham marriages for immigration purposes.

The ID theft industry in Britain is now worth GBP1.7 billion to
criminals, and is all set to reach the GBP4 billion mark by 2010.
One of the major means to harvest personal data for the new breed of
criminals is the Internet, which allows cybercrooks to gather a lot of
information, be it from trawling openly available sources or by using
dedicated malware and scamming methods such as phishing. The new study
has revealed that people still do not exercise the necessary caution
when online, with 12 percent willing to disclose their bank details on
the Internet, compared to only 2 percent in person. A similar situation,
if not even more significant, occurs when people are asked to give out
their home address. Some 70 percent of users would do that online,
compared to only about 25 percent who are asked to do so on the phone.

The Internet has become a huge information and private data drain, and
more people are falling victims of crimes committed because they
revealed too much about themselves online. With a culture of easy
credits and a significant demand for fake documents, ID theft means easy
pickings for cybercriminals, who increasingly can find all the
information they need on the Internet and siphon off funds even without
leaving the comfort of their own home. But if someone is willing to
openly disclose his or her personal details online, not even a patched
operating system, fully updated antivirus package and firewall may be
able to help.

*****



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