London dominates the top ten places for ID fraud, but outside the English capital fraudsters are targeting more affluent areas.
London’s East Ham is the identity fraud capital of the UK, according to new research by credit reference agency Experian.
It says there were 27 fraud attempts per 10,000 people in the area, which is massively higher than the national average of four attempts per 10,000 people.
The entire top ten of fraud hotspots is made up of parts of London, with East London dominant.
Here’s the complete London top ten:
| Area | Fraud attempts per 10,000 people |
| East Ham | 27 |
| Romford | 23 |
| Bexleyheath | 22 |
| Woolwich | 20 |
| Cheapside | 18 |
| Stratford | 17 |
| Ilford | 16 |
| Walthamstow | 15 |
| Lewisham | 14 |
| Enfield | 14 |
Fraud hotspots outside London
Outside the English capital, Altrincham in Cheshire has the highest instances of fraud attempts, with 13 per 10,000 people. There are no Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish places in the non-London top ten.
Here’s the top ten places for fraud attempts outside London:
| Area | Fraud attempts per 10,000 people |
| Altrincham, Cheshire |
13 |
| Hatfield, Hertfordshire |
11 |
| Dartford, Kent |
9 |
| Camberley, Surrey |
9 |
| Birmingham | 9 |
| Manchester | 8 |
| Stretford, Greater Manchester |
8 |
| St Albans, Hertfordshire |
8 |
| Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham |
8 |
| Slough, Berkshire |
7 |
The figures show that fraudsters are not only operating in inner-city areas but are also targeting people in more affluent areas such as Hatfield in Hertfordshire, Camberley in Surrey and St Albans in Hertfordshire. However, Experian says fraud has decreased overall in the Home Counties over the past year.
London also tops fraudulent application list
[SPOTLIGHT]East Ham also topped Experian’s list of the places where most first-party ID fraud had been attempted. First-party fraud is where people try to change their identity or hide information about themselves to obtain credit that they almost certainly can’t repay.
London topped the overall nationwide top ten for this sector, with the centre of Birmingham second, the centre of Manchester and Slough in joint third, and Luton and West Bromwich joint fifth.
How to avoid becoming a victim
Here are some top tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of identity fraud:
- Keep pins and passwords private – Memorise details rather than writing them down and never give account details to anyone else. Use different passwords for different accounts and try to avoid easily guessed names.
- If in doubt, don’t click – If an email seems suspicious, contact the relevant organisation and don’t give out personal details. Your bank, credit card provider and any reputable business will never ask for confirmation of details by email.
- Be smart with your smartphone – Be careful what information is stored on your phone, including emails that can be accessed without a password. Phone thefts are on the increase, particularly in inner-city areas. You should also be wary of security settings if you access public Wi-Fi hotspots, especially if you use your phone to bank online.
- Don’t reveal too much on social networking sites – Fraudsters use personal details like date of birth, age, maiden names or pets’ names to guess private passwords.
- Keep your firewalls and security settings up to date
- Read your bank statements carefully for irregularities
- Check your credit report regularly – It’s a history of all your credit accounts and will highlight any irregularities such as suspect applications for credit and rises in card balances. You can view your credit report for free with a 30-day trial of Experian's CreditExpert.