The threat of identity theft is often overlooked in the office, where employees feel most comfortable giving out personal information.

Over 15m office workers could be at risk because they fail to protect personal information, according to a recent survey by Shelia's Wheels Home Insurance.

Information required for routine tasks like booking a doctors appointment and paying bills can be used by criminals to complete security checks and commit fraud.

Two thirds of workers admit to openly disclosing this type of personnel information and 20% of office staff have regularly overheard details like the date of birth, mother's maiden name and debit card numbers of co-workers.    

The Home Office recommends contacting a credit check agency, such as Equifax, to obtain a copy of your credit file if you suspect you have been the victim of identity theft. If the file contains any entries relating to organisations not normally dealt with they should be contacted immediately.

Identity theft costs the UK £1.72bn a year.