10 million Britons who will enjoy socialising over the Christmas period should take precautions to protect their identities
 

Over the Christmas period, 10 million Britons will enjoy themselves by celebrating the festive season in restaurants, pubs and bars across the country - enjoying at least five nights out each during advent, according to research for leading credit card company, Capital One.* However, it is important that we should all take precautions to ensure we are not putting our personal and financial details at risk, warns the credit card company.
 

Whilst most of us are careful with our belongings on a night out, 4 million Britons (7% of us) have said that they have suffered loss or theft of their wallet or handbag while out at a restaurant, pub or bar. With almost half of us saying that we will socialise "considerably" more during the festive period, there is an increased risk of this kind of theft.
 

Over one-in-ten questioned (11%) say that they leave their credit cards behind a bar while they enjoy themselves while they are on a night out. One fifth of those who run a "tab" during a night out admit that they have often forgotten their card at the end of the evening and have had to return the following day to collect it. This could present fraudsters with a prime opportunity to steal personal information and private financial details.
 

Srini Gopalan, UK Senior Vice President of Capital One says: "Make sure you do not make this Christmas a happy one for identity thieves by making a gift of your personal details. As well as protecting your financial information, those who are enjoying the festive spirit should make sure that they have a firm grip on their wallets and handbags which may contain useful information for an identity fraudster."
 

Research by Capital One also found that over 46 million Brits (93% of the adult population) leave home everyday carrying enough information in handbags and wallets to allow a crafty criminal to steal their identity. Driving licences, bank statements and medical records are just a few of the personal details that we are carrying around in our wallets everyday which, if in the wrong hands, can leave us vulnerable to identity theft:
 

• 43.5 million people carry around credit and/or debit cards
• 24.5 million of us carry around their driving licence
• 23.5 million carry old receipts
• 1 million of us keep bank statements in our wallets
• 4 million carry around medical cards/records
• 8 million keep business cards in our wallets
• 1.5 million carry around payslips

 

Srini Gopalan concludes: "This is the season when opportunistic thieves will be on the alert for any chance to get hold of personal details. But a couple of precautions strictly adhered to will keep most people safe. That includes not leaving cards behind the bar in pubs, making sure that handbags and wallets are kept safe and in sight and keeping your PIN, passwords and personal details private."
 

Capital One offers customers free Identity Theft Assistance to help its customers protect themselves against the perils of ID theft, and to pick up the pieces if they do get caught out. The newly updated identity theft service is the only one of its kind to provide a dedicated named adviser to provide help at every stage if a cardholder discovers they have been a victim of ID Theft. The service can also offer advice on preventing ID theft for any cardholders who want to ensure they are doing all they can to protect their ID.
 

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* Research conducted by ICM of a representative sample of 1,951 UK adults between 9-11th November 2007.
 

Notes to Editors
For further information about this release please contact:
Becky Paterson at Capital One on 0115 843 6484
Or Russell Saunders at Fishburn Hedges on 020 7893 4321

About Capital One:

Capital One Financial Corporation trades on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1996 Capital One launched its first overseas operation in the UK offering credit cards, savings and loan products to UK customers. The UK Operations Centre for Capital One Bank (Europe) plc is located in Nottingham, where more than 2,000 Associates are based. Capital One is a top-ten credit card issuer in both the USA and the UK, with more than four million UK customers. Capital One's subsidiaries collectively have approximately 50 million managed accounts and $144 billion in managed loans. The Bank has won numerous industry awards for its products and services as well as accolades for its consistent work within the communities in which it operates.
 

Capital One has consistently provided market-leading consumer-lending products to its customers. In the UK Capital One was among the first credit card issuers to offer a 0% introductory purchase rate, combining this with one of the lowest 'go-to' rates on the market.
 

Capital One is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.