Money News
15.3 million office workers in the UK may become victims of identity theft by over-trusting their colleagues. According to research conducted by Sheilas' Wheels home insurance, workers are risking identity theft by being careless with their personal information in the office.
The Sheilas' Wheels Office Trust survey highlights that four in five office workers (83%) say they completely trust the people they work with and one in five (22%) believe that their colleagues know as much about them as their closest friends.
But with the cost of identity theft in the UK now over £1.7 billion per year, it's important for everyone to take steps to protect their personal information at all times - both around strangers and people they know - to give no-one the opportunity to steal their identity.
The office came top of the list of places where Brits feel most comfortable giving personal details over the phone. According to the survey, two thirds of office workers admitted to making private phone calls at their desks and openly disclosing personal information. In fact, 20% have regularly overheard colleagues giving answers to common security questions, such as mother's maiden name, place of birth, and stating their debit/credit card security codes.
Office staff are not only being overheard but also overlooked - as 61% of those polled said that their computer screen was clearly visible to colleagues sitting nearby. This poses an identity theft risk as over a third (36%) of office workers rely on the internet at work to manage their personal finances. Meanwhile, 22% admitted to checking their current account, credit cards, savings and investments at least once a week. And almost one million (6%) make online checks on a daily basis.
Having a clear desk is definitely the best policy when it comes to protecting identity. Surprisingly, almost two thirds (60%) of office employees leave personal information lying around on desks - easily accessible to anyone passing by - and female office workers appear to be most trusting.
The items regularly left unattended by office workers across the UK are: Wallets and purses (44%) 56% of women, Handbags or Manbags (34%) 68% of women, Receipts (29%), Personal post (25%), Financial documents - including insurance certificates (17%), Utility bills (14%) and bank or credit card statements (11%).
Alarmingly, 3% of office workers have let a colleague use their bank or credit card for work purposes - including withdrawing cash from an ATM on their behalf. Also, one in seven (14%) regularly use their office bin to throw away private documents, such as utility bills, which contain information that could be used as a proof of address.
07 April 2008 © Moneyextra.com
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