STUDENTS MUST KEEP THEIR MAILING ADDRESS AT UNI UP-TO-DATE OR RISK ID THEFT

With the start of another academic year underway, iammoving.com, the UK’s free online change of address service, is warning students to update their addresses or risk becoming victims of ID theft.

Moving from halls to rented accommodation or from one rented house to another can leave students exposed to ID fraud. Cases of ID fraud have risen by 70 per cent since 2006¹ with an incidence of ID theft taking place every four minutes in the UK alone. Surprisingly, people aged 18-29 are both the main victims and the main perpetrators of ID theft³ - meaning that students need to be extra vigilant.

Forgetting to change your address with utilities, credit card companies or your local council when you move can lead to serious problems if the information contained falls into the hands of a potential ID thief.

Laura Thom, a student at Manchester Metropolitan University, comments, “After years of living in my student house we were still receiving all kinds of correspondence addressed to previous tenants – including bank statements and credit card applications. We filled countless bin bags and had no other option but to give it all to the landlord as no forwarding addresses were left. It makes you realise how easy it is for thieves to steal identification and how preventable it can be for students.”

The warning comes during ID Fraud Prevention Week. As Ama Uzowuru, VP Welfare at the National Union of Students (NUS) comments, “Throughout the duration of university life, students may change address as many as four times. With cases of identity fraud becoming more frequent, the need to keep sensitive information secure has never been so important. You can help to keep your identity safe by taking simple steps – such as shredding and redirecting mail. Otherwise, your identity could land in the laps of fraudsters – at a cost that students can’t afford. The NUS fully endorses National Identity Fraud Prevention Week. We are delighted that companies such as iammoving.com are offering students an inexpensive way to keep their identities safe. By raising awareness, we hope to reduce the number of students falling prey to this crime.”

Eileen Rutschmann, CEO of iammoving.com states that students can minimise the risk of becoming a victim of ID fraud, “Protecting yourself against ID fraud doesn’t need to be difficult – simply updating your address when you move and properly destroying statements and card receipts can make a huge difference. Using our free service is a way of staying in control and making sure your personal details don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

ENDS
¹Stats by the Sunday Express, April 2007
²Stats by the Sunday Express, June 26, 2005
³An Omnibus survey conducted by YouGov July 2006

About iammoving.com
iammoving.com is a free, online change of address service that enables home movers to quickly send their new address to all the organisations with whom they want to stay in touch – these include organisations in more than 30 categories including mobile phone companies like Vodafone, loyalty cards such as Boots, all utilities, charitable organisations, university alumni offices, TV Licensing, DVLA, Passport Office, banks, building societies, and all local councils. iammoving.com sends more than 50,000 notifications to more than 1,500 organisations on behalf of its users every month.

In addition, iammoving.com provides independent advice on tariffs from the most comprehensive list of suppliers of gas, electricity, broadband, telecoms and pay TV to ensure movers get the best rates and most suitable providers possible for their new home. iammoving.com, the only online address change service in the UK, works in partnership with the Royal Mail