CIFAS Reports "Unprecedented Levels" of Identity Crime in United Kingdom

On July 24, CIFAS, the United Kingdom's fraud prevention service, issued its Fraudscape Bulletin 2012.  According to the CIFAS press release on the Bulletin, which drew on fraud statistics for the first half of 2012, CIFAS members reported "data driven identity crime at unprecedented levels."  Among other findings, the release reported that "The use of fake identity details, or the impersonation of an innocent victim (Identity Fraud) now accounts for 1 in 2 of all frauds identified" and that "Account - or facility - takeover frauds constitute 15% of all frauds, meaning that nearly two thirds of all frauds (65%) now relate directly to the abuse of identity details such as dates of birth, postcodes, email addresses and passwords."

The release also noted, in unusually emphatic language: "While the 5% increase in overall fraud levels during the first half of 2012 is noteworthy enough, the fact that identity fraud (the use of a false identity or the identity details of another person) now accounts for 50% of all frauds is unprecedented. In addition, 15% of all recorded frauds in the first half of 2012 related to the takeover or hijacking of a customer's account. This means that frauds relating to the misuse of identity details now account for an astonishing 65% of all fraud."