Identity fraud has jumped by two-thirds over the past year, with the wealthiest being the worst hit, according to Experian, the global credit information firm.
The Dublin-based group’s Victims of Fraud Dossier states that more than 6,000 victims sought help from its fraud team during 2007, compared to just over 3,500 in 2006.
London remains the UK’s identity fraud capital, with residents almost twice as likely to fall victim than the rest of the population.
Those living in London’s Richmond-upon-Thames, Putney, Wimbledon and the Kings Road area in Chelsea are among those at highest risk, Experian said.
Outside London, there are high-risk areas - at more than four times the national average - in Cambourne, near Cambridge; Far Cotton, near Northampton; and Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, Teesside.
Mail order companies were hardest hit in terms of fraud volumes, accounting for 62 per cent of all new cases in the second half of 2007. The financial losses, however, were comparatively low, with an average cost per case of £219.
The typical victim is aged between 26 and 45 and earning more than £50,000 a year.
