ID thieves target your rubbish

People's identities and bank accounts are being targeted by thieves sifting through everyday rubbish, police warn.

The alert was issued after it was discovered that organised criminal gangs are systematically raiding bins for documents such as bank statements, creditcard slips and utility bills.

About 200 people a day are being hit by identity fraud - one of Britain's fastestgrowing crimes - a 50 per cent rise since 1999.

Officers are concerned the public are making it too easy for "bin-raiders" by carelessly throwing out sensitive paperwork.

They fear "identity factories" are being used to churn out false identities on an industrial scale for crimes ranging from mortgage fraud to illegal immigration.

"This is without question a huge and growing problem," said one Scotland Yard officer.

Research published today reveals that every week an estimated three million British households throw out data a fraudster can use.

The details on the documents can easily be used to "hijack" people's identities and gain entry to their bank and credit-card accounts.

The results of a trawl of about 400 bins in London, the biggest survey of its kind ever conducted, found that 63 per cent contained documents with a full name and address, the essential "starter kit" needed by a criminal intent on identity fraud.

It found that one bin in 12 contained a slip including a full credit card number. In many cases this would be enough for a fraudster to start ordering goods over the phone.

In five per cent of households surveyed there was also a signature with the credit-card details.

There was detailed information on bank accounts in many bins, with six per cent containing documents with a full bank account number and sort code.

The survey, conducted by credit reference agency Experian over the course of one week last month, found 20 per cent of businesses had thrown away a document containing a whole debit or credit-card number, and 21 per cent threw out financial details of their customers with no attempt at destruction.

Kenny Wilkes, assistant head of services at Camden council, where the trawl was conducted, said criminals such as drug addicts were being used to " harvest" documents from bins and sell them to fraudsters.

He said one raider, who was recently caught slicing through binliners with a Stanley knife, admitted he was being paid to supply documents with a "menu" of prices, depending on how valuable the information was.

Mr Wilkes said: "He told us that whenever he got something with a name and address on it he would be paid a fiver and that something with card numbers or bank details could be worth as much as £50."

The council started to monitor bins after a spate of bag ripping left rubbish strewn over the street. At first council officers thought that it was the work of vandals but the pattern of strikes made them suspect organised bin raiding.

There are two main routes open to fraudsters carrying stolen personal documents. The first requires him to have the full credit card number and expiry date. He is then able to use the card over the phone.

The second involves a fraudster with someone's bank account details and home phone number going on to obtain their security details by, for example, pretending to be from the bank's customer services division.

The fraudster will then tell the bank that the account holder's address has changed and will get cheque books and debit cards sent to a bogus address.