ID Fraud Facts & Advice

Rich or poor, in London or the rest of the UK, thieves are out to steal your identity – and make a profit at your expense. New research from Experian pinpoints the latest trends and shows who's most at risk and where they live.

London 's Kensington has great museums, excellent shopping and is a fantastic place to live. It's also the place where you stand the greatest chance of having your identity stolen.

You are almost five times more likely than the national average to be a victim of identity fraud if you live there. Not far behind are a series of other London areas, some famous and some not so well known, according to research from Experian, the credit reference agency.

If the national average risk of identity fraud is 100 (meaning that twice the average risk would be 200), then Kensington hits the top spot with 496, pipping Victoria Street – which runs between Victoria Station and Parliament – by two points, with Queensway third at 489. King Street in Hammersmith, one of London 's less posh areas, and Chelsea 's Kings Road , one of the smartest, are both just behind in joint fourth place, followed by Clapham Junction one point further back.

In all, there are 17 London areas with an identity fraud risk score of more than 400. Leafy Richmond upon Thames is the only place outside the metropolis to score similarly, at 404. Harrow , another prosperous borough, is the second most vulnerable spot outside the capital, at 350.

Top 20 UK ID fraud hotspots

Top 20 London ID fraud hotspots

A national problem

From Princes Street in Edinburgh to central Brighton, and from the university towns of Oxford and Cambridge to the surroundings of Brentwood and Birmingham 's Kings Heath, identity fraud affects large parts of the country.

And it's not just where you live that matters – it's also who you are and how recently you've moved.

Well-paid recent graduates in privately rented accommodation are, perhaps surprisingly, the most likely to have their identity stolen. Again using 100 as the national average, this group scores 189. Young couples with children who use credit to finance major purchases are not far behind, at 187. Young singles, who often rent property together, are a mere three points behind that.

Equality among victims

The people you might think would be the top targets – the highest earners, living in the best properties – come next, at 170, with the well-off who are mortgaged to the hilt following them, at 165.

Age or limited income is no protection against identity thieves either. Comfortably-off, retired people living on their own are 60 per cent more likely than average to be a victim, while 30+ singles, maybe living in council flats, are 46 per cent more vulnerable than the norm.

Protecting yourself

One of the most common ways of finding out that someone is trying to steal your identity is finding out that a fraudulent application for credit has been made in your name. For instance, you might get a letter from a lender you don't recognise or you might see unfamiliar entries on your credit report. By the time a fraudulent account has been used, a lot of damage could have been caused.

The easiest way to keep ahead of identity criminals is to keep a regular watch on your credit report – the personal history of the credit you have taken out, such as a mortgage, loans or cards. This means you can immediately see if somebody has been impersonating you to get credit and is such an effective defence that the government recommends it.

You can see your Experian credit report for free by taking advantage of a 30-day trial of CreditExpert, the credit monitoring and identity fraud protection service from Experian. You'll also be sent an alert by e-mail or text every time there's a major change to your credit report, such as an application for credit in your name.

Click here to find out more and check your credit report – for free