FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - [Updated] 2018 data breach : BA fined £20 million
Old Jan 3, 2021 | 10:58 pm
  #304  
Worcester
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Brexile in ADB
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Posts: 7,067
Originally Posted by Agent69
And you could get run over by a bus when you next cross the road, but that's probably not going to happen either.
I don't really understand that analogy, it materially misunderstands the risk. The chance of being hit by a bus is very small, I can't find published figures for people hit by a bus, but overall the number of people involved in all road traffic accidents in 2018 was 160,597 with the range from being killed to being slightly injured.

26% were pedestrians, so that takes the figure to 41,755

There are 32,000 buses in the UK according to Stagecoach. Compared to 40,000,000 cars, now buses are used far more than cars so lets assume by factor of 10, as a percentage of journeys that makes bus journeys 0.8% if all journeys. If we assume the same ratio between cars and buses of accidents this brings a estimate of 334 people being hit by a bus.

Now in 2018 there were a reported 189,108 cases of identity fraud and it is rising rapidly. These are reported cases and the true figure is almost certainly far higher, given that it is under reported and many cases go undetected.
Identity fraud is a growing problem and virtually risk free, the police are simply not interested and will just tell you to report to action fraud and forget about it. Seriously I have no idea why people commit other crimes. The results though can be devastating on the individual targeted. From refused credit, to having bailiffs turn up at your door, and it is often vulnerable people worst affected. It takes months to sort out and prove that you never took out the credit or committed fraud. Worse people have been duped into sending their house deposits to fraudsters, money they have spent years scrimping and saving for, irrecoverably lost.

So while I am delighted you have never been targeted, I would not dismiss quite so lightly.

Sources
https://assets.publishing.service.go...eport-2018.pdf
https://m.stagecoachgroup.com/~/medi...ry-faqs-v2.pdf
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-ne...ere-in-the-uk/
https://www.cifas.org.uk/newsroom/id...d-up-one-third
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