Seven in ten Brits entering competitions risk fraud

Just one in three (31 per cent) say they routinely check to determine whether an offer is real or fraudulent before entering private information such as their name, address and date of birth.

The Nationwide research, which surveyed 2,000 British adults, highlights how the risk/reward radar can often be unbalanced by ‘too good to be true’ offers as it reveals most people are aware that providing such information could put them at risk of fraud, with many regretting doing it later.

Around two thirds (63 per cent) of Brits have previously entered private information such as their name, address and date of birth to enter a competition. Of these, seven in ten (69 per cent) have done so without any due diligence checks, according to the poll. More than a fifth (22 per cent) said they would consider giving all three key pieces of information (name, address, date of birth) to stand a chance of grabbing an offer – enough to give a fraudster a head-start on impersonating someone.

According to the poll, 18-to-24-year-olds are four times more likely to give out their personal details on a cold call than those aged 55 and above, while they are also almost three times as likely as 35-to-44-year-olds to give their bank details to an unfamiliar website when shopping online.

However, the nation’s generous approach to sharing their personal information is in stark contrast to their awareness of fraud – most understand that sharing their bank details (86 per cent), date of birth (62 per cent), home address (58 per cent) and email address (42 per cent) could put them at risk of fraud.

This is perhaps why more than a third (38 per cent) say they ended up regretting sharing their personal information.

Stuart Skinner, director of fraud at Nationwide Building Society, added: “It’s great news that consumers are aware of what personal information they shouldn’t share. But as our research shows, Brits are much more willing to take a risk with their personal information if they think there is a bargain to be had. It’s very easy to be swept away with the prize on offer and not stop to think whether it is valid. Our advice is, if something seems too good to be true, it usually is, so it’s wise to be suspicious.

“People should take a bit of time to do some research and check the source is valid, particularly if it’s a website they are using for the first time. Nationwide, like all banks and building societies, uses a wide range of measures to keep its customers’ money safe, but knowing how to protect yourself is by far the most effective way to avoid becoming another statistic.”