Hong Kong residents want additional identity verification measures – but are they doing enough to protect themselves from identity theft?

Hong Kong, 30 August, 2007 – The August 2007 Unisys Security Index ^TM for Hong Kong has found whilst the majority of Hong Kong residents want more sophisticated Identity verification methods, many people are still failing to undertake simple security measures which help protect against Identity Theft crimes.

The seemingly conflicting messages were the results of research undertaken as part of the latest Unisys Security Index with two additional questions posed to Hong Kong residents aged 18 to 64 years.

These additional questions provide the opportunity to delve deeper into a range of topical security issues without affecting the overall Unisys Security Index and reflect the complex security ecosystem which has far reaching global and personal impacts.

The two additional question areas covered were in relation to:

Which forms of identity verification would Hong Kong residents be happy to use to prove their identity to trusted organizations such as banks and government
What steps do Hong Kong residents take to protect their personal information

Hong Kong Residents overwhelmingly support additional identity verification

93% of Hong Kong residents say they would use one or more methods of identity verification to prove their identity to trusted organizations such as banks and government.

Fingerprint scans and personal passwords were the most favoured forms of identity verification with 67% of Hong Kong residents saying they would be happy using either method.

A personal Pin number recorded 49% support with 47% supporting use of an iris scan.

The other results were:

Photograph – 38%
Voice recording – 29%
None/don’t Know 7%

Are Hong Kong residents doing enough to protect their personal information?

The majority of Hong Kong residents are taking proactive measures to protect themselves from identity theft and fraud.

78% say that they either always or sometimes destroy or shred bank statements and other items containing personal information before disposing of those documents in the garbage.
In addition, 70% said they always or sometimes read privacy policies of organizations they have dealings with such as banks, companies or government departments.
71% of Hong Kong residents said they never used easy to remember numbers such as birthdays when providing a security PIN.

Despite the proactive steps being taken, many Hong Kong residents are leaving themselves exposed to Identity theft or fraud by not taking basic preemptive measures.

22% or an estimated 1.1 million Hong Kong residents said they never shredded bank statements or similar items containing personal data before throwing them into the bin.
29% or 1.4 million or nearly a third said they never read privacy policies of organizations, companies and government departments they have regular dealings with.
28% or 1.3 million Hong Kong people said they always or sometimes used easy to remember dates such as birthdays when providing a Security Pin.

Identity Theft and Financial Fraud can begin in the simplest of ways be it someone looking for financial statements or records or mail being stolen from an unlocked mail box.

To assist Hong Kong Residents in making themselves more secure, Unisys has published an Identity Fraud Tip Sheet which provides useful information and hints on how best to protect yourself from criminal fraud.

The Unisys Security Index provides a unique insight into the attitudes of Hong Kong residents on a wide range of security related issues.

Organisations and governments today confront potential security threats that didn’t exist a decade ago, or, if they did, were not seen as such a pressing concern. These security threats are global and their effects impact individuals on a daily basis. Unisys approach to security goes beyond ‘bits and bytes’ recognising that there are a broad set of political, economic and consumer forces that impact the security ‘ecosystem’. We believe that the most effective solutions are going to be those formed through collaboration across interests, sectors, borders and geographies.

For full details of all results of the Unisys Security Index for Hong Kong, please go to www.unisyssecurityindex.com.hk.

About Unisys Asia Pacific

Unisys offers clients solutions for secure business operations by aligning technology with business strategy. Drawing on a history of industry innovation and expertise, Unisys provides specialised services, delivered by trusted consultants. In Asia Pacific, Unisys delivers services and solutions through subsidiaries in Australia, New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand and through distributors or resellers in other countries in the region. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

About Unisys

Unisys is a worldwide information technology services and solutions company. We provide consulting, systems integration, outsourcing and infrastructure services, combined with powerful enterprise server technology. We specialize in helping clients use information to create efficient, secure business operations that allow them to achieve their business goals. Our consultants and industry experts work with clients to understand their business challenges and create greater visibility into critical linkages throughout their operations. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

Contact

Corinna Fung, Unisys, Tel: (852) 2879 3832
corinna.fung@hk.unisys.com