The Office – A Hub for ID Theft
How much do you trust your 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 per cent) say that they completely trust the people they work with and one in five (22 per cent) 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[2] billion per year, it’s important for everyone to take steps to protect their personal information at all times – around strangers and people they know - to give no-one the oppportunity to steal their identity.
The office came top of the list of places where Brits feel most comfortable giving personal details over the phone, only seconded by the home. According to the survey, two thirds of office workers (66 per cent) admitted to making private phone calls at their desks and openly disclosing personal information. In fact, one in five (20 per cent) 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.
Although many attempt to be discreet by speaking quietly (40 per cent), turning their back to colleagues (25 per cent) and covering their mouth to muffle the sound (9 per cent), it’s almost impossible not to be overheard in the average open-plan office space.
The most common personal calls made at the office that often require the disclosure of extensive personal information are:
• Booking a doctor’s appointment (54 per cent) – which can require a date of birth
• Paying bills such as credit cards and utility bills (25 per cent)
• Bank account enquiries such as requesting a bank balance (24 per cent)
• Renewing insurance policies such as car, home, travel and pet insurance (22 per cent)
• Shopping - ordering and paying for goods (19 per cent)
• Booking flights and holidays (15 per cent)
Alarmingly, 3 per cent of office workers (459,389) 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 per cent) 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.
Jacky Brown at Sheilas’ Wheels home insurance, commented: “Longer working hours, the rise in the dual income family and increasingly hectic lives are causing many Brits to manage their personal and household finances in the office rather than at home.
But with such a lack of privacy in open plan workplaces, it’s crucial to protect your personal information at all times – not just from strangers but also people you may have known for some time. Remove the temptation from fellow workers by keeping private phone calls, paperwork and finances just that - private."
Darryl Bowman at Experian, commented: “If you are concerned that your identity could have been compromised in your place of work, a credit monitoring service, such as CreditExpert, will alert you to any significant changes to your credit report that could indicate that someone is trying to steal your identity. Regularly checking your credit report to ensure that you recognise all the activity is so effective that it is also recommended by the Home Office as a means of protecting your identity.”
Regional breakdown:
Office workers in Yorkshire make the most number of personal phone calls at work (76 per cent) whilst Londoners make the most of the company Internet by managing their personal finances in the office (55 per cent).
Those from the North West are most trusting of their colleagues, with 6 per cent having permitted the use of their credit/debit card to make an online purchase or withdraw money from their account for work purposes.
The Welsh appear to be talking too loudly as 27 per cent have overheard colleagues answering security questions on the phone.
Londoners are the messiest workers - 74 per cent leave personal information on their desks and one in four (25 per cent) throw private documents in their office bin.
Sheilas’ Wheels Home Insurance offers free online access to the CreditExpert identity theft and fraud detection service – provided by Experian[3] and worth over £80 per year[4] - with either buildings or contents cover. Experian will monitor credit reports and provide alerts to help customers detect potential fraudulent activity.
For tips on how to avoid having your identity stolen at work, visit our Helpful Resources section ID theft in the office page.
ends
About Sheilas’ Wheels Home Insurance:
Sheilas’ Wheels provides both buildings and contents cover – with a contents no claims discount:
• Free online access to the CreditExpert identity theft and fraud detection service – provided by Experian3 and is worth over £80 per year4. Experian will monitor credit reports and provide alerts to help customers detect potential fraudulent activity. This cover is available with either buildings or contents cover.
• Alternative accommodation in the event of lost utilities in the home – covers for loss of gas, water and/or electricity, in the event of a flood for example[5].
• New for old cover on clothes – depreciation and reductions for wear and tear are not applied for clothing stolen or destroyed in the home[5].
• Family legal protection – free to policyholders for one year when they take out a new policy online (currently £17.80). Policyholders will be provided with up to £50,000 of cover for legal assistance to help them recover uninsured losses but with an extension to include assistance in finding emergency registered childminders while the insured person is attending jury service, and legal representation for a customer’s child if they do not gain entry to the school of their choice[5].
• Pest cover – additional cover for the removal of: grey squirrels, wasps, hornets’ nests, rats, and mice infestations at just £1.67 per month.
• Home emergency cover - covers up to £500 for call out charges and up to 2 hours labour costs, plus parts and materials up to a maximum of £100 for just £3.33 per month.
• Personal possessions cover away from the home – covers for accidental loss, damage and theft of personal possessions that are temporarily removed from the home for an additional fee.
• Unlimited rebuildings sum insured.
• High market limits for contents in the garden – up to £2500.
• High market limits for contents in outbuildings – up to £5000.
For further information please contact the Sheilas’ Wheels press office at Mischief PR on 020 7100 9999 or email sheilaswheels@mischiefpr.com
OR
Niki Bolton, Corporate Communications Manager, Sheilas’ Wheels: 01737 235070
Asia Manzoor, Public Relations Officer, Sheilas’ Wheels: 01737 641305
Email: pr@sheilaswheels.com
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Notes to Editors:
ICM Research interviewed a random sample of 1123 adults (including 593 office workers) aged 18+ by telephone between 14th-17th March 2008. Interviews were conducted across the country and the results have been weighted to the profile of all adults. ICM is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Further information at www.icmresearch.co.uk
[1] The the working population of Great Britian is 29,448,000:
21, 918,000 – full time working population
7, 530, 000 - part time working population
Total – 29,448,000
Source: The Office For National Statistics Labour Force Survey, Quarter 4 of 2007.
Over half of Brits (52 per cent) work in an office = 15,312,960. Source: ICM Research.
[2] Source: Cabinet Office, 2006. http://www.identity-theft.org.uk/ID fraud table.pdf
[3] Free to the first named policyholder only.
[4] Correct at the time of print.
[5] Terms and conditions apply.
About Sheilas’ Wheels:
Sheilas’ Wheels was launched in October 2005 to offer women drivers cheaper car insurance and female targeted product enhancements. In February 2008, the brand moved beyond car insurance, to also offer home insurance with product enhancements including free online access to the CreditExpert identity theft and fraud detection service[3], alternative accommodation in the event of loss of utilities in the home[5], new for old cover on clothes and family legal protection cover which also includes assistance in finding emergency registered childminders while the insured person is attending jury service, and legal representation for a customer’s child if they do not gain entry to the school of their choice.
Sponsorship:
Sheilas' Wheels sponsors the ITV National weather: “Whether skies are grey or blue, Sheilas’ Wheels could cover you.”
About CreditExpert:
CreditExpert provides UK consumers with unlimited online access to their complete Experian credit report. This includes details of loans and revolving credit with the accounts’ repayment history going back six years, the sources of the information, records of any organisations that have accessed the report and public information such as county court judgments, bankruptcies and electoral roll entries.
Experian responds to around one million requests for credit reports from consumers every year and helps many consumers with credit-related issues, including giving assistance to the victims of identity fraud. As the threat of identity fraud shows no signs of easing and the use of credit continues to grow in the UK, services like CreditExpert will become more and more important as consumers want help to manage their personal credit information and want to be alerted to changes on their credit reports that could affect their financial future.
About Experian
Experian is a global leader in providing information, analytical and marketing services to organisations and consumers to help manage the risk and reward of commercial and financial decisions.
Combining its unique information tools and deep understanding of individuals, markets and economies, Experian partners with organisations around the world to establish and strengthen customer relationships and provide their businesses with competitive advantage.
For consumers, Experian delivers critical information that enables them to make financial and purchasing decisions with greater control and confidence.
Clients include organisations from financial services, retail and catalogue, telecommunications, utilities, media, insurance, automotive, leisure, e-commerce, manufacturing, property and government sectors.
Experian Group Limited is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. It has corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and operational headquarters in Costa Mesa, California and Nottingham, UK. Experian employs around 15,500 people in 36 countries worldwide, supporting clients in more than 65 countries. Annual sales are in excess of $3.8 billion (£1.9 billion/€2.8 billion).
For more information, visit the Group's website on www.experiangroup.com.
The word 'Experian' is a registered trademark in the EU and other countries and is owned by Experian Ltd and/or its associated companies.
