Identity theft warning

7:54am Wednesday 23rd January 2008

A WOMAN from Bishop's Hull is warning people to think carefully about what they throw out after distracting a would-be identity thief in the dead of night.

Susan Faire was woken at about 3.30am on Tuesday by what she thought at first was a fox.

But when she went to investigate, she saw a young man with a torch ripping up bin bags outside her home, apparently looking for sensitive information.

She said: "He was quite brazen. He was just ripping open bags and was obviously looking for something like utility bills."

Mrs Faire said she challenged her intruder, who replied in a very well-spoken manner that he had lost his keys.

She said: "I told him I didn't think he had and I said I was going to call the police.

"He then walked off at a pace."

The parish newsletter warns this month about a similar incident in the village in November, when a homeowner was woken at 5am by somebody wearing a head torch and rifling through bin bags.

Mrs Faire said: "I'm always careful about what I throw out.

"I want to warn people they mustn't throw away bank statements or anything like that because they could be a victim of identity theft."

A police spokesman said enquiries were ongoing to trace the man, described as tall, aged 18/19, and wearing a dark top with light trousers.

The spokesman added: "If you do have sensitive letters or bank statements, you should destroy them with a cross shredder. Never just throw them out."