My ID theft nightmare (From Worcester News)

My ID theft nightmare

7:10am Tuesday 20th May 2008 in

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A MAN has told of his shock after more than £2,500 was stolen from his bank account by identity thieves from across the globe.

Mohammed Taj says he takes every possible measure to prevent fraudsters from getting hold of his personal information, from destroying all important documents with a home shredder to never using a debit card to make purchases.

Indeed, so cautious is Mr Taj of identity theft that he says he has only ever used a cash machine to withdraw money on a couple of occasions, preferring instead to take his money out over the counter each week.

And yet despite such cautious measures, Mr Taj strolled into the Worcester branch of the Nationwide to make his weekly withdrawal, only to be told there was £2,526.74 missing from his account.

"I couldn't believe it," said Mr Taj, 56, who lives with his family in Southfield Street, Arboretum, Worcester.

"It's amazing, really. I walked into the bank and asked the clerk to check my balance. She told me there was less than £1,000 in there - but I had been paid only a few days before. I just kept asking her, what's going on?"

A quick analysis of Mr Taj's bank statements showed the money had been taken from his account in five separate withdrawals made in Australia earlier that week.

"I've never even been to Australia," said Mr Taj, who is a nightshift factory worker at Crown Food UK. "I don't know anyone in Australia. I don't even use the internet."

Nationwide said it would refund his money in seven to 10 days following an investigation, offering Mr Taj a short-term overdraft facility in the meantime.

"The bank were very good," he said. "But I just want to warn other people about what can happen. I have lived here for 40 years and nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

So how did the thieves get hold of enough personal information to raid his account?

"I don't know, I don't know," Mr Taj said. "I never use my bank card, I never use the internet, I shred all my papers before I throw them away. This happened to one of my friends last year, too - he lost £600. What is happening to this country now?"

A spokesman for Nationwide said it could not comment on individual cases due to data protection laws, but warned that "just one use of an ATM or credit card in a shop can lead to identity theft." The police also declined to