HIGH-tech thieves are targetting people from Huddersfield for identity theft.

The town has recorded a worrying 38% hike in reports of identity theft in the last year.

It was the largest rise in Yorkshire and one of the largest increases outside London.

Now new figures show people are giving the unscrupulous thieves up to 35 chances a WEEK to rip them off.

ID thieves can steal identities with just a name and address, by taking note of a car registration number or even by just standing behind someone at a supermarket till.

The rise in technology means people are leaving trails of data which can be tracked from anywhere in the world.

Motorists are at risk of people copying number plates and beating speeding or parking fines.

Office workers who check internet or telephone banking at work or use sites such as Ebay could be exposing their personal financial details.

In a survey by insurer CPP 83% of people admitted when typing their PIN number at a cashpoint they were conscious of people staring over their shoulders.

One high profile victim of identity theft was Colne Valley MP Kali Mountford.

Thieves used Ms Mountford's credit card details to spend £800 in Spring last year.

Ms Mountford said several things stood out that she knew she had not bought.

"I rang up the credit card company and they were very good actually. They said that they may be able to find out from looking at the payments who somebody is and where they were.

"But then I had to cancel my credit card and bank cards... it's best to change everything.

"It was a real pain in the neck."

Ms Mountford said she didn't use the internet and was alarmed at how easily the fraudsters obtained her details.

She added: "People need to be vigilant and I thought I was - I've never, ever worked out how it was done."

ID protection expert Owen Roberts said: "ID fraudsters are waging a war to obtain our personal details.

"Concealing PIN at point of sale is a wise precaution, but this level of protection needs to be applied in all vulnerable situations.

"Time spent protecting our identities could save us from the hideous long-term consequences of identity theft, which are expensive and time consuming to resolve."

1. Passport: Combined with a utility bill or receipt, this could give ID thieves access to someone's bank account as it can not only be used as a form of ID, but also contains lots of personal information.

2. Bank Statements: This would supply ID thieves with information on who an individual banks with, what direct debits they have, recent transactions and their home address.

3. Cheque Book: This would supply ID thieves with account numbers and sort codes.

4. Credit Card Receipts: A receipt supplies ID fraudsters with information to get past security questions.

5. Payslip: This could help fraudsters apply for credit as they will have employer and salary details.

6. Utility Bill: Can be used to verify an individual's identity by banks and building societies.

7. Driving Licence: This provides valuable information such as address and date of birth.

8. Mobile Phones: Consumers should be really careful what they store on their mobile and should be especially wary of storing PIN numbers or account details.

9. Diary: These often hold personal details which could reveal passwords – such as boyfriends' names, favourite football team etc.

10. Gym & other membership cards: These could potentially give access to personal information.