British consumers could be soft targets for cash card theft according to new research by Abbey National, which highlights a rise in the number of people carrying their cash card and PIN number together in a wallet or purse.
The average consumer now has over seven PINs to remember for things such as credit, debit and charge cards, mobile phones, telephone and internet accounts, digital and cable television and even taxi services. The new research suggests that the pressure of too many numbers is leading to people taking serious security risks.
Abbey says that the number of people who admit to keeping their PIN number with their cash card has risen from two per cent last year to three per cent this year. One in four of the 350 people questioned by Abbey had forgotten a cash machine PIN "at some time" during the past year.
Janet Connor, director of banking and savings marketing at Abbey National says: "It is extremely worrying that so many people are careless when it comes to PIN security. PINs are vital in the high-tech age, but we must ensure that we don't take security risks by keeping our PINs and cash cards together."
The Abbey research comes as UK banks debate the merits of introducing PIN codes at retailer points of sale in a bid to clamp down on card fraud.