Identity thefts are on the rise, with syndicates impersonating victims to apply for their credit reports, gathering personal information from social networking sites and even paying maids to steal their employer's bank statements, Hong Kong's only credit reporting agency says.
Lawrence Tsong, managing director of TransUnion Hong Kong, which holds the credit records of 4.2 million people, said the number of identity theft cases had risen sharply in recent months. He declined to give figures.
Instances of fraud syndicates impersonating victims to apply for credit reports from TransUnion had also increased, Tsong said, adding that the agency had reported these to police.
'Previously, we only had a few such cases ... it is clear that syndicates are behind the fraud,' he said.
One victim was a man whose wallet was stolen at the Lo Wu border in October 2008. In July last year, HSBC told the man to terminate his bank and credit card accounts, and an application to open an account at Hang Seng Bank was rejected.
When the man checked with TransUnion, it emerged that a fraudster had impersonated him to apply for a credit report in May, the victim told a newspaper in September.
Tsong said the case had prompted the company to tighten security checks on individuals who applied for credit records.