MORE then three out of 10 Singaporeans surveyed recently admitted to using an easy-to-remember number such as a birthday as a password. Also, about 20 per cent, or one in five, do not shred or tear up credit card and bank statements before throwing them into the bin.

This is in stark contrast to the findings that 80 per cent of the same 910 people surveyed, aged between 18 and 64, were very concerned about credit card fraud or identity theft.

These results indicate that bank clients are the weakest link in implementing safeguards against Internet or credit card fraud, said Mr Scott Whyman, general manager of South Asia for Unisys, which commissioned the survey.

"People can - and should do more - to reduce their risk of identity theft or financial fraud," he added.

Identity theft refers to a conman using personal particulars obtained through phishing ? which is with the use of bogus websites that resemble those of banks ? or sifting through garbage for credit card and bank statements.

With a credit card number alone, a conman could cheat online retailers.

Findings of the September 2007 Unisys security index showed that the situation is similar in Malaysia.

There, more than half of those surveyed would use easy-to-remember passwords and do not dispose of financial statements properly.

In Hong Kong, 28 per cent were lazy in their choice of passwords and 44 per cent would not tear or shred documents with personal financial information.

Besides advising the use of better passwords and tearing up financial documents before throwing these away, Unisys recommends checking on those requesting for such information.

A recent case of identity theft was dealt in a district court on Monday. The accused, 34-year-old Cheok Bok Soon ran recruitment ads and used the details in the application forms to apply for credit cards.

The unemployed man chalked up about $30,000 with the fraudulently obtained cards and was jailed for four years and four months for forgery.

Police said that IT-related fraud cases have risen from 36 in 2006 to 91 last year.

Nine cases have been reported between January to March this year.

For more tips on how to prevent identity theft, visit www.unisyssecurityindex.com.sg.