Businesses in Northern Ireland have been urged to wake up to the dangers of identity fraud.

The warning comes from leading business networking organisation B4B who have teamed up with local onsite confidential document destruction company, ShredBank, to raise awareness of the problem to coincide with National Identity Fraud Prevention Week. The two organisations have come together to urge local businesses to securely dispose of their confidential documents and avoid the risk of information falling into the wrong hands where it can be used to commit identity theft.

The move follows a call at the weekend by a powerful Parliamentary group for an Identity Fraud Tsar to be appointed to co-ordinate efforts to tackle the growing problem of the crime. The All Party Group on Identity Fraud – set up last year by the former Home Secretary, Andy Burnham - said the creation of a Tsar would enable 'a joined-up, focused approach to the problem across the Government, police and private sector'.

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Identity fraud involves criminals using someone else's identify, usually to apply for credit or claim benefits. The Government estimates that it costs the economy about £1.7 billion a year and during 2006 there were 171,488 cases. However, consumer research suggests the problem may be far bigger than this, with recent surveys suggesting as many as one in four people may have been affected.

ShredBank spokesman, Phil Bain said that identity theft is now a major issue for local businesses in Northern Ireland. He stated: "We believe hundreds of local businesses may not have proper policies and measures in place when it comes to dealing with and destroying documents containing confidential information about individuals. With increasing legislation, the potential for litigation and a major surge in ID theft across Europe many local businesses and individuals are vulnerable."

(CL)