Consumers suffer curse of 'Pin blindness'

MILLIONS of Britons are suffering from 'Pin blindness' because they have to memorise so many security codes, passwords and usernames in today's hi-tech society.

Many are writing the secret codes down - which experts warn is a major security risk - as they fear they may forget the details.

Adults have on average of two personal identity numbers (Pins) and eight passwords and usernames to remember. One in four has twice as many and some have an astonishing 45 passwords.

But research has found that only six in ten people could remember two passwords or access codes if unprompted. This figure dropped significantly when they were asked to name more than two.

A survey of 1,000 adults by Teamspirit, a financial services marketing company, found that 8% kept their Pin next to their credit cards in a wallet or purse. Of these, six in ten coded the number, usually in reverse, making it slightly more difficult for a would-be fraudster to tap into their account.

Jo Parker, head of Teamspirit, said: 'We encountered occasions where a respondent had written the Pin on the reverse of the card because they forget it so often. This is a huge security risk.'

The average number of Pins is two - one for a debit card and the other for a credit card. But more than 20% had more than six and 8% had ten or more. Many people use the same number for more than one card, leaving themselves open to further security risks.

The internet has led to a massive boom in the number of passwords, usernames and number codes. People have an average of six passwords - and this does not include online banking.

So numerous are the codes that more than six in ten people said they regularly have trouble getting access to secure internet sites. The most common mistake is mixing up usernames from one site with the passwords from another.