Source: Experian, 17th July 2012
More than 12 million pieces of personal information were illegally traded online by identity fraudsters in the first four months of 2012, new figures from Experian CreditExpert reveal.
Additional consumer research commissioned by Experian CreditExpert reveals that the average Briton now has 26 different online accounts… Despite this, Britons use an average of just five different passwords to keep their details safe, with a quarter (24 per cent) using a single password for the majority of profiles, and one in 25 (four per cent) sticking with the same login details for all their accounts.
Peter Turner, Managing Director at Experian Consumer Services in the UK and Ireland, commented: “The reason password and login combinations make up nine out of ten illegally traded pieces of data is because they give access to a huge amount of other valuable information, such as address books and related accounts.
“Using a different password for each account will minimise risks, but if password information is stolen from a website, all accounts using the same details will be compromised, and this information can spread among fraudsters rapidly…