Firms are not paying sufficient attention to safeguarding information they hold on their customers, it has been claimed.
Research carried out for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week found that one in three employees bin rather than shred sensitive documents relating to customers.
The same study revealed that three-quarters of staff believed that their employers could do more to implement measures that would limit the risks of important personal information falling into the hands of fraudsters.
Of the 1,000 employees polled in the study, 36 per cent said they did not know or were unsure whether their firm or organisation had a policy in place covering the handling of documents that contained personal or sensitive information.
Tyron Hill, a spokesman for National Identity Fraud Prevention Week, commented: “Today’s customers are more vigilant and informed when making decisions – businesses that are seen to do more to protect data are at a competitive advantage over those that aren’t.”
It is thought that identity fraud in the UK totals some £1.2 billion.
The organisers of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week have published a guide to help businesses prevent fraud and to protect themselves from falling victim to it. The guide can be viewed at http://www.stop-idfraud.co.uk/resource-centre.aspx
