Men in 40s most likely fraud victims

New data has blown away the myth that little old ladies are the most vulnerable when it comes to ID fraud by revealing that the most likely victims are men in their 40s, who are being targeted “on an industrial scale”.
The annual Fraudscape report from Cifas shows that recorded fraud soared by 25% last year compared with 2013, with ID fraud accounting for 41% of all cases.
Cifas claims that men were nearly twice as likely than women to have had their identities stolen, with digitally-savvy adults becoming targets. And with security now more robust, fraudsters are finding it increasingly difficult to trick their way into existing accounts; these days they are more likely to impersonate their victims to create accounts or apply for loans in order to steal money.
Fraud hotspots were found in most of the large cities including London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow, Cifas found.
“The frauds we are recording point to increasingly sophisticated, predatory and organised criminals. This is crime at an industrial scale,” said Simon Dukes, Cifas chief executive.
Experian director of fraud and identity solutions Nick Mothershaw told the BBC: “The figures released today emphasise just how much of a threat fraud still is to lenders and their customers, especially as more people apply for financial products across multiple channels, including online and mobile.”