WILTSHIRE police have issued calls to all residents and businesses in the county to work together to protect their identities.

The calls come as part of the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week campaign which aims to educate consumers and businesses as to the dangers of identity fraud, and the preventative steps that could and should be taken.

Despite continuing efforts to combat identity fraud - still one of the UK's fastest growing crimes - a Populus poll commissioned for this campaign shows that three quarters of UK adults have now been personally affected, or have friends and family who have been affected, by identity fraud.

Furthermore, 80% of Britons fear having their identity stolen.

National bin-raiding research, commissioned by Fellowes, reveals why: not enough is being done to keep identity thieves at bay.

  • Over 19 million households regularly place sensitive materials in their waste and recycling bins
  • 11% throw away whole credit/debit card numbers - a combination of a complete card number with its associated expiry date and owner's signature was found in the waste and recycling of 13% of households
  • A third of us are still throwing away everything a fraudster needs to steal a person's identity, including passports, driving licences, CVs, phone and utility bills

Calling on residents and businesses in Wiltshire, to ensure they are protecting themselves, Detective Superintendent James Vaughan said: "Identity fraud is a serious and growing problem which affects all our communities.

"From experience, we know that the best way to safeguard our personal information is through strong preventative measures, whether you're shopping online, or throwing out your bills.

"We are delighted to work alongside all our partners who are campaigning hard to raise awareness of identity fraud."

Have you been a victim of identity theft? If so, tell us your story by emailing details to wtimes@newswilts.co.uk