Victims Call For ID Theft Support

It can be a frightening experience to have your identity stolen, perhaps your credit card was scanned in an ATM machine or your bank details hacked off the internet. Not only have you lost money but it is a violent invasion of your privacy and many sufferers have long term problems trying to get their lives back on track.

Victims of identity theft are calling for a "one-stop shop" to help individuals recover from the crime.

The National Consumer Council (NCC) has found that victims of identity theft crimes are often left to fend for themselves, with companies holding the information stolen; often identified as the "victim" in the eyes of the law - making it difficult to obtain a crime number.

Victims of such crimes, which can leave individuals liable for huge bills or unable to obtain credit, want a phone or web based system for dealing with the aftermath - helping them prove their identity and get a crime report. At present, it can take months - even years, on some occasions - for many victims to correct their credit records and get their finances back into shape.

"It's clear from our research that business' must dedicate more time and resources into putting things right for victims of ID theft – or face calls for stronger consumer protection laws," said a NCC spokesman.

"So we are calling on business' – banks, credit card, mobile phone, utility and mail order companies - to set up and finance a national ID theft support centre, similar to one that is working well in the US. Setting up such a centre would cost a fraction of the billions lost by industry to ID fraud."

ID theft is estimated to cost the UK economy £1.7 billion a year.

If you would like to know more about ID theft why not ask AnswerBank Business and Finance.