Security threats Toolkit

Story: Survey: ID theft costing UK billions in taxes

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Social Security and Benefits fraud may well be running at around £2 billion a year, but the "identity theft" component of this is only around £50 million, out of total payments of over £100 billion a year.

Most of such fraud is by people misrepresenting their circumstances e.g. claiming benefit whilst working etc rather than claiming to be someone else entirely - their true identities , home addresses and bank account details are known

The estimate by the DWP Minister in evidence to the Home Affairs Committe is that even the proposed £3 billion plus compulsory Biometric ID Card scheme would only refuce this fraud from about £50 million to perhaps £45 million i.e. by £5 million, which is well within the statistical error of the guesses which make up such estimates on £100 billion of payments.

Instances of forged signatures or cracked computer passwords or credit card numbers may be Fraud or Counterfeiting but they are NOT "Identity Theft" which does not appear on any statute as a crime.

"phishing", despite the hype has not even netted criminals as much money as "419 advanced fee fraud".

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