Identity Theft - What is being done?

What is identity theft? > Identity Crime Definitions How to protect yourself > Keep your personal information secure > Keep all your plastic cards safe > Keep your documents safe > Keep your passwords and PINs safe > Corporate Identity Fraud > Protecting the identity of deceased family members Are you a victim? > Your credit report > Victims of Fraud Service Who can help? > Obtaining your credit file > Consumer finance identity theft information > Reporting the theft or loss of mail and document > General fraud prevention What is being done? > Criminal offences > Passports > Sharing good practice and joint working > Identity cards > Impersonation of the deceased > Raising public awareness > British Crime Survey Downloads Latest news FAQ's About Us	What is being done? Identity theft and fraud affects individuals, government departments and private sector organisations, and often forms part of more serious criminal operations such as people trafficking and drug smuggling. The 2002 Cabinet Office Study, which covered the use of false identities and the theft of other people's identities, estimated that crime facilitated by identity fraud costs the UK £1.3 billion per annum. In February 2006, the Home Office Identity Fraud Steering Committee completed a one-off exercise to update the Cabinet Office estimate for the purpose of establishing trends in the intervening years. This exercise estimated that identity fraud costs the UK economy £1.7 billion a year. As with the previous study, it represented a best estimate of the scale of the problem. A breakdown of the estimate can be found here. The Identity Fraud Steering Committee developed a new methodology for estimating the cost of identity fraud, and together with key industry stakeholders, published a new estimate of £1.2 billion on 9 October 2008. Full details of the latest estimate can be found here.