I note they claim most people find out from credit monitoring reports - these are the things Experian and Equifax sell, even though it's OUR data and by rights we should be able to access it as we please.

They do provide free reports - but they're intentionally crippled to upsell you into the subscriptions.

I especially like the quotes from the head of Equifax where he claims free credit reports are 'unconstitutional' because they eat into his profits. It's OUR data mate!

http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20050629/1122246_F.shtml

None of this would be an issue if we could put free reporting and blocks on our credit reports - as soon as a search is requested, send an email to the persons verified account and hold it until they're happy. There'll be no more of this scamming and no way for Equifax et al to sell us our own data. Unfortunately because of this last point, it'll never happen.

I feel bad about not feeeling sorry for the rich.

Sensible.

Not a lot of point in targeting the impoverished.

Do I get my prize now?

Or do I just get my coat?

for loan companies and stores.

We got a store card (we wanted the massive discount offered) and all it took was another debit card, and a few basic details, both of which we could of easily got by stealing a handbag.

10 minutes later we had a card and £1000 worth of items....

It's far to easy to get credit with almost no identification. Of course the ID card will solve all these issues.

Don't feel bad. Someone poorer than you will no doubt feel perfectly justified in ripping YOU off.

Ah, true, they're stealing the rich.

But then, wouldn't those statistics be wrong? Everyone knows its Nottingham where the rich people are robbed ;)

Send em to the ISS where they can target the effluent.

I guess this is only a prob. if you use credit? Estimate your bills a year in advance, add 10% for luck, pay up, and grumble that their making interest on your payments. Play hell if they ask for more. And don't keep one's eggs in one basket - ever. An empty bank account helps :)

And as for credit agencies - there's a one off fee for a copy of your credit file - about 4 ukp last time I looked. Don't be fooled by the adverts that claim that by knowing the contents, you are somehow protected. Any negative references won't be removed. A note will added to your file simply showing you disagree and (sometimes) why.

It's up to the credit provider to decide from that info whether you're a risk. Beans on Toast anyone?

@Andrew.

Wouldn't worry about it. They simply need to use the "Thousand monkeys in a thousand tree's" principle. Despite the paranoid womblings of a minority, though it SEEMS like you've been targeted, it's almost certain that it they use a simple script long enough, you're gon a get a hit sometime. And a year is a long time in tech.

You recognised a phish when you saw one, that's all that matters.....

Woah, no way? Fraudsters target the rich? You mean they don't go to all that trouble to impersonate someone and steal their identity in order to be able to take on the debt repayments of the poverty-stricken? Well I never!

An apocryphal tale relates how the famous US bank robber, Willie Sutton, was once asked by a journalist "Why do you rob banks"? His answer: "Because that's where the money is".

In the mid 90's I was working on a contract for a major high street banks card division and for a while confused sheeple kept contacting them over 'card' bills for cards never rec'd .... The resulting investigation found that whilst the cards had indeed been ordered, they never arrived, finger of blame hovered at the PO for a time until a pissed off member of the public decided they'd send a suspicious package in the mail.

Cue "Bomb threat" policies within the postroom, the resulting 'confusion' then led to the discovery of an enterprising post boy who was simply intercepting the cards, and could use them to his hearts content whilst monitoring the system until a stop was activated on the affected accounts ....

Plod was called, the lad was sacked but, you guessed correct, it never got to court, and the reason, it would knock confidence in the system ....

Why is it the biggest idiots always choose to post to El Reg anonymously?

I can't even find a line in that comment worth arguing.

All these very localized hotspots. Hmm. Couldn't possibly be the local post man (or person at the sorting office) could it? Nothing against posties but there are always a few bad apples.